Dragon's Bane
by Ilikekeswords
Summary: On hiatus.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**Disclaimer! I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima or The Matrix, nor, do I ever plan to.**

**A/N: Most Italicized words are telling the setting, but when the words are in quotes, then that most likely means it's a spell. If something is in quotes and parenthesis, then that means they're whispering something.**

Prologue: Dragon Rage!

"FIRE! RUN AWAY!"

"_Eclipse!_"

"CHIEF! Why?! Why are you doing th…"

The villager looked down and saw a huge sword sticking through his chest. He looked around and saw that his village was destroyed. The Russian village would not last the night.

"I always knew… that you were too strong. To kill us all… I just can't believe it," said the villager.

A small boy came walking out of his house.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you!?" the young boy screamed.

"Vladimir, get away from here!" yelled the villager. "Hurry and get ou…"

"You always talked too much," said the village's assailant as he finished off the villager. "Vladimir, do you think you can stop me? You may be the youngest and most skilled of the Dragon Knights, but you still have much to learn."

"SHUT UP! WHERE'S MOTHER AND FATHER!"

"My, my. All you care about are your parents. What about the rest of the village? More importantly, what about _you_?"

With that question, the assailant ran at the kid, brandishing his huge sword. He raised his weapon, but before he was able to slam it on the kid, Vladimir, a light appeared and the boy disappeared.

"Heheheh. Looks like you live. Oh, well. What can you do against me?"

Chapter 1: Enter Dragon Knight Vladimir and Mage Negi!

_10 years later… Year: 2004: Wales, England_

The 5 graduates stood in the ceremonial hall awaiting their diplomas.

"Negi Springfield, come and get your diploma."

"Yes, sir." The short, red-headed kid went up to the principal and obtained his diploma.

After the ceremony, Negi, his sister, and one of his friends were walking through the hall.

"Hey, Negi! What's it say? I got assigned as a fortune teller in London," asked Negi's friend.

"Where will you be training?" asked his sister.

"It's about to appear…" said Negi, but was cut off by a blinding flash that came from his diploma. On it were the words "A teacher in Japan."

"WHAT!?"

"Hoho… A teacher is it?" said the principal.

"Is this some kind of mistake? How can a ten year old be a teacher!? You can't let him do this." Negi's sister pleaded. "(Also, where'd you even come from?)"

"That's right. And, also, he always spaces out. HE'D be the one getting taught!" exclaimed Negi's friend.

"If it is on the diploma, then that is what he must be. Negi, you must train hard to become a great mage." Declared the principal. After hearing the principal not changing Negi's job, his sister fainted. "Don't worry, the principal of the school you're assigned to is a friend of mine. Don't worry. I could never send you alone."

"Who's going with me?"

"I am." A silver-haired boy of about six feet came down some stairs to the right of Negi's group. He was wearing a black trench coat and had his hair jelled back. "My name is Vladimir."

"HOW CAN YOU LET NEGI BE ACCOMPANNIED BY THIS GUY!? HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S ONLY 16 or 17!" yelled Negi's friend.

"Anya, calm down. And don't forget, you're only 11. Vladimir here is 15, and he graduated from the academy about 9 years ago. He's the quickest learner I've ever seen. He even finished magic school in one year, and graduated from Oxford University two years later," exclaimed the principal.

"You mean _this_ kid has already graduated from college. He looks like the teen version of Neo, but minus the shades and the Agent Smiths (and the street lamp)," said Anya.

"I assure you that someone of his level can handle almost anything thrown at both his and Negi's way," declared the principal.

"I didn't think that my job was to watch over Negi. I thought it was to investigate about _him_," said Vladimir with a resentful look on his face.

"Well, you can do both, can't you? Besides, it'll be good for you. Who knows, maybe you can find some more dragons over there," said the principal.

"DRAGONS!?" screamed Negi, Anya, and Negi's sister.

"Ah, yes, I forgot to tell you. Vladimir is a Dragon Knight, the last of his clan."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Mahou Sensei Negima.**

**A/N: I know this is kind of long, but I tried to explain most of the real Negima's first chapter here, so it became longer than I meant it to.**

Chapter 2: The Kid Teacher and the Oxford Graduate

"Dragon Knight? What's that?" Negi and his group asked in unison.

"Well… it's complicated. However, it doesn't matter what my abilities are, just know that I'm strong. Now if it's alright with you, Negi, I would like to leave for Japan already," replied Vladimir.

"Sheesh, that's cold. But I'm ready to go, too," said Negi.

"Don't worry. Vladimir opens up more if you get closer to him," said the principal.

_A few days later in Japan_

"Wow! This is amazing!" said Negi, astounded by the city in which they just arrived.

"I prefer the country," said Vladimir.

"It seems that the principal was right. You are talking more."

"Whatever. I'm going to go ahead to the school. See you there," said Vladimir.

"Wait! Why don't we go together? I mean, aren't you supposed to help me with teaching anyways?"

"I have to be given some information that is vital to my investigation. I thought that I should go ahead and get that while I'm waiting for you there. I can run faster than a subway, so don't worry about that."

"Um… okay."

'Now that I think about it, he hasn't told me what he's investigating…' thought Negi.

Vladimir ran off while Negi hopped on board the subway.

_Subway_

"Wow! Japan is so crowded and there are so many women!" said the astounded Negi.

gossip What's with the kid?

He's a foreigner?

"Hey, kid. Where are you going? There are only middle and high school stops after this one," explained one of the women.

Negi began to get flustered.

ACHOO!

The cart was filled with a gust of wind and shot up all of the high schoolers' and middle schoolers' skirts. There was a big commotion about the wind, but the subway soon stopped and let off Negi and many of the other girls.

To all students: This is the guidance committee. This week is "Zero Late Attendances Week," and it's only 10 minutes until the bell! Let's hurry it up! Any student late will be issued with a yellow card. Please arrive early!

"I need to hurry, too! I can't be late on my first day," Negi said to himself as he cast a spell to make him run faster. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two girls speeding off towards the school. He ran and caught up to them.

"You think so? The fortune today is, 'You'll have a meeting with destiny,'" one of the girls said.

"Really?" replied the other.

"Also, it says saying the name of the man you like 10 times and barking makes him fall for you."

"NO WAY! TAKAHATA SENSEI! TAKAHATA SENSEI! TAKAHATA… what's everyone looking at?" Many people were eying the girl.

"You actually did it."

"I'll seriously kill you."

"You know, you sure are fast, Asuna. You're keeping up with me while I have skates."

"Well, excuse me for being fit, Konoka."

WHOOSH!

"You're love will be unrequited, ma'am," said Negi when he finally caught up to them.

Suddenly, the three stopped moving and the one called Asuna grabbed Negi's head and asked, "WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU BRAT!? TAKE IT BACK RIGHT NOW!"

"Aw, Asuna. Look at him. He's so cute," said the girl named Konoka.

"Negi! Now isn't the time to be flirting!" yelled Vladimir from a window in the school, where Negi, Asuna, and Konoka apparently almost ran right by.

"Asuna! Stop that this instant!" said an older man.

"Takahata!" yelled Asuna and Konoka.

"Hey, Takamichi!" hollered Negi.

"You know him!?" asked Asuna.

"Welcome to Mahora Academy, Negi-sensei," said Takahata.

"Sensei?" asked Konoka.

"What? You thought that the kid you were flirting with was an ordinary kid? Come on! Anyone could tell that this is a girls-only area," yelled Vladimir.

"Who the heck are you?" yelled Asuna.

"I don't have time for a Q&A," replied Vladimir.

_Principal's Office_

"I see. So, Negi, you're to be a teacher. Well, let's make it from today to March," said the principal, Konoemon. "Remember, if you mess up, then you'll be forced back at home. Let me introduce to you the school's guidance officer, Shizuna. By the way, Asuna and Konoka, could Negi stay in your room for a while?"

"FROM WHEN UNTIL WHEN, SIR!? I HATE BRATS LIKE HIM!" Asuna yelled. With that, Asuna and Konoka ran off to class, apparently forgetting all about Vladimir.

"Negi," said Shizuna, "here's the student roster. Okay, Negi and Vladimir, let me show you to the class."

"Vladimir, where are you staying?" asked Negi.

"I found a cave not that far from here that I can live in," replied Vladimir.

"A CAVE!?" screamed Negi.

"Umm, yeah? I used to live in the mountains back in my homeland. Caves remind me of the places up in those mountains. Besides, where would I sleep? Have you ever heard of a dragon sleeping in a house?"

"But you aren't a dragon."

"Well, when a dragon knight makes a pact with a dragon, the dragon resides in the knight's body. Because of that, the knight becomes dragon-like and starts to like things that a dragon likes, which, in my case, happens to be a cool, dark environment," explained Vladimir. "That is also why dragon knights have extraordinary powers."

"Wow! What other things happen?" asked Negi.

"I already told you, it's complicated. If I explained everything, then it would take at least a whole day."

"Vladimir and Negi-kun, this is the class," said Shizuna.

Negi looked through and saw a bunch of girls. He decided to look in the student roster and almost had a stroke.

"31 girls!? How can I remember everyone!?" yelled Negi.

"Hmm… do you not have a good memory?" asked Vladimir.

"What? I think I do, but no one can possibly memorize this whole list."

"Speak for yourself. Just by looking at that list once, I can tell you everyone of their names and their student number."

"REALLY!? Alright, then tell me the whole list right now."

"Student Number 1: **Sayo Aisaka**

Student Number 2: **Yuna Akashi**

Student Number 3: **Kazumi Asakura**

Student Number 4: **Yue Ayase**

Student Number 5: **Ako Izumi**

Student Number 6: **Akira Okochi**

Student Number 7: **Misa Kakizaki**

Student Number 8: **Asuna Kagurazaka, **which is one of the girls you were with this morning

Student Number 9: **Misora Kasuga**

Student Number 10: **Chachamaru Karakuri **

Student Number 11: **Madoka Kugimiya**

Student Number 12: **Kū Fei**

Student Number 13: **Konoka Konoe, **she is the other girl from this morning

Student Number 14: **Haruna Saotome**

Student Number 15: **Setsuna Sakurazaki**

Student Number 16: **Makie Sasaki**

Student Number 17: **Sakurako Shiina**

Student Number 18: **Mana Tatsumiya**

Student Number 19: **Chao Lingshen**

Student Number 20: **Kaede Nagase**

Student Number 21: **Chizuru Naba**

Student Number 22: **Fuka Narutaki**

Student Number 23: **Fumika Narutaki**

Student Number 24: **Satomi Hakase**

Student Number 25: **Chisame Hasegawa**

Student Number 26: **Evangeline A.K. McDowell, **whom I believe you've heard of

Student Number 27: **Nodoka Miyazaki**

Student Number 28: **Natsumi Murakami**

Student Number 29: **Ayaka Yukihiro**

Student Number 30: **Satsuki Yotsuba**

Student Number 31: **Zazie Rainyday**

and let's not forget about me,

To-be Student Number 32: **Vladimir Vavilov**."

"HOW DID YOU DO THAT!? No one should have that good of a memory!"

"Heheheh. Actually, you were tilting the list so much that I could see everyone's names."

"Then, you were lying about having a good memory?"

"Yep. Anyways, hurry up and get inside the classroom."

"Oh, right," said Negi as he opened the door. He took a few steps in the door and noticed an eraser falling towards his head. He tried to dodge it, but tripped on a rope and got his head stuck in a bucket. Negi went flailing across the floor until he finally came to a stop when he hit the teacher's desk.

"Eek! It's a kid! We're sorry! We thought you were our teacher!" exclaimed the class.

"Don't be sorry. He _is _your new teacher," said Shizuna. "Also, this is your new classmate, Vladimir."

Vladimir came inside the room, but everyone's attention was on Negi. Seeing how he was unnoticed, he went to a corner of the room, sat down on the floor, and then fell asleep.

"Everyone, my name is Negi Springfield. I shall be teaching you Ma… English for three terms. It's nice to meet you all."

"…"

"…"

"HE'S SO CUTE!" all the girls screamed. It was loud enough to wake up Vladimir, who happens to be a heavy sleeper. The girls barraged Negi with numerous questions. "HOW OLD ARE YOU!? WHERE ARE YOU FROM!? HOW'D YOU BECOME A TEACHER!?"

"I'm ten, from Wales, and I became a teacher by… umm… training?" Negi answered the last question awkwardly, since he knew no one would believe him if he said, "I became a teacher through rigorous training in a magical school in Wales so that I can search for my long lost father who stopped a war about ten years ago."

Most of the girls jumped on Negi and started hugging him.

"Are you smart enough to be our teacher?" a girl asked him.

"I'm fluent in English up to a university graduate's level," he replied while thinking, "This is the greatest welcome I've ever had for something."

All of a sudden, everyone turned to Vladimir, who happened to be asleep again, as if they just noticed him. Then, the girls started murmuring amongst themselves.

Who's he? He's kind of hot.

He looks like he's from a different country than Negi.

The gossiping girls stopped talking as two of the girls, Fuka and Fumika, ran up to Vladimir and grabbed his cheeks. Vladimir, thinking he was being under attack by someone, woke up instantly, and shot forward at his assailants. However, one girl, Ku Fei saw his reaction and was able to prevent Vladimir from hurting either of the twins.

"Sorry," Vladimir said, "you two startled me. I took various martial arts classes and one of them taught me how to react to an attacker if I was asleep."

"You're fast," said Ku Fei.

"Maybe…" Vladimir replied.

"You're not one for words, are you?" asked Ku Fei.

Suddenly, as if nothing happened, all of the girls turned their barrage of questions towards Vladimir.

"Who are you?"

"Vladimir. (Were you all not listening to Shizuna?)"

"Where are you from?"

"Some mountains in Russia."

"How old are you?"

"15…" Vladimir said, rather annoyed.

"If you're from Russia, then do you know Russian?"

"Um… yeah?" Vladimir answered, thinking about how stupid people could be.

"Do you know English?"

"Yeah."

"Then, why are you in this class?"

"To look after Negi."

"If you know English and Russian, then do you also know Japanese?"

"…"

"Um.. do you?"

"No, I don't. This whole conversation has been in Russian. Couldn't you tell?" There was a high level of sarcasm in Vladimir's voice.

"But that means that you know three languages. You must be really smart. Shouldn't you be the teacher?"

"No. I'm a detective. I came to Japan because of a case. Helping Negi is my second objective."

"A DETECTIVE!? Don't lie to us! There's no way someone your age could be smart enough to have a job like that!"

Vladimir looked at them with an impassive expression and said, "I don't care if you believe me or not."

"Wait a second," said Asuna. "You said you were investigating a case in Japan, right? What exactly happened here?"

"I'm looking for someone. He is most likely this world's most dangerous inhabitant. His name is Vladislov. He is the reason why my life is so screwed up."

"What did he do?"

"… He killed my whole clan… my family." Vladimir looked into space with a deranged look on his face. This face told the class to not bother Vladimir for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I will appreciate all help someone gives me to make this fic as good as it can be.**

Chapter 3: The First Day

"HEY! You just did something weird to that eraser, didn't you?" asked the insanely strong Asuna as she lifted Negi into the air by his shirt.

"CUT THAT OUT RIGHT NOW, ASUNA!" yelled one of the students. "Although, your behavior is just perfect for a monkey like you."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" screamed Asuna. "AND WHY ARE YOU BEING SO NICE, YOU SHOUTAKON!"

"WHAT!? LOOK WHO'S TALKING! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH AN OLD MAN FETISH!"

The two girls started fighting each other. The other students gathered around them and started cheering them on.

"Iinchou and Asuna, would you mind keeping it down. It's getting harder for me to sleep," said Vladimir, looking at them with an extremely dreamy face.

"Y… yes." The two started blushing and quickly went back to their seats.

"Thanks," whispered Negi to Vladimir.

"Don't fret about it. When girls got into fights at Oxford, my teacher would do that to make them too embarrassed to fight anymore."

"Why would they be embarrassed?"

"Never mind that. Just start teaching."

Negi turned to the black board and tried to write something on it, but he was too short to reach.

"…Well?"

"I… I can't reach."

The class burst into laughter, even Vladimir snickered a little.

"Here's a stool for you," said Iinchou.

"Thank you, Miss Class Rep."

"There's something weird about that guy," Asuna said to herself. She brought out an eraser, tore off a piece of it, and shot it at Negi with a ruler.

"OW!" screamed Negi.

"What happened?" asked Iinchou.

"Something hit me."

"It hit him?" thought Asuna. She shot another piece at Negi, but Vladimir saw her and he put his head in the pat of the eraser. The eraser reflected off of Vladimir and back at Asuna with double the force.

CRASH!

Asuna was on the floor with blood coming out of her head.

"What was that?" the class wondered.

_After School_

Vladimir and Negi sat on a fountain near a library. Vladimir was dozing off while Negi was looking through the student roster.

"Asuna Kagurazaka," thought Negi. "Take that!" Negi drew horns on her picture and wrote 'boo' and 'bully' on it.

He looked up and saw one of his students walking down a flight of stairs carrying a huge stack of books.

"Let's see… that's number 27: Nodoka Miyazaki. That looks very dangerous."

As soon as Negi thought that, Nodoka fell off the stairs. Negi jumped up, which startled the half-asleep Vladimir, and he cast a levitation spell so that Nodoka would be alright. Vladimir tried to stop Negi, but it was too late. Asuna Kagurazaka saw everything. She grabbed Negi and demanded Vladimir to come with her.

"I knew you were a freak! And this guy is my witness!" yelled Asuna.

"Asuna, insults can be very hurtful. Negi is a mage, not a freak," said Vladimir.

"WHATEVER! HE'S STILL A WEIRD… wait a minute. How do you know about this?"

"Because, I, too, possess magical powers."

"I have to erase your memories!" said Negi. "VANISH!"

Asuna was enveloped in a light and when it went away, her clothes were gone.

"I think I messed up," said Negi.

"Interesting," said Vladimir, who was staring at certain parts of Asuna.

Takahata walked up to them and saw Asuna.

"IYAAAA!" screamed Asuna.

_Several Minutes Later_

"I'm really sorry!" Negi tried to tell Asuna.

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE!?" screamed Asuna.

"To become a mage. Mages help people all over the world. In the world of magic, jobs like these earn the highest respect. But if we get found out, we get turned into ermines."

"If you're supposed to help others, then help me!" Asuna pled. "Help fix my relationship with Takahata!"

The group couldn't finish their conversations because they walked into the classroom and all of Negi's students yelled, "SURPRISE!"

"That's right!" Asuna responded. "We are having a welcoming party for you today. That's why I was walking by the fountain earlier. After I got out of the hospital because of the eraser injury, I had to get some food for the party. On my way back is when I saw you."

"By the way," said Vladimir, "is your head feeling better? I didn't think that it would bounce back at you."

"THAT WAS YOU!" Asuna screamed as she tried strangling Vladimir. "I'll make you pay for that!"

"But wasn't it your fault for shooting them at Negi?" choked Vladimir. Asuna finally let go of him.

"…"

"…"

"You're right."

The party lasted a while, but, eventually, everyone went to bed.

_Principal's Office: Midnight_

"Have you found him, yet?" asked Konoemon.

"I picked up his trail. We can say that he is definitely in Japan," replied Vladimir.

"Is that all?"

"…"

"Yes?"

"That girl, Asuna, found out about Negi and I."

"Really? Well, I guess it can't be helped. However, try not to let anyone else find out."

"Yes sir."

"Well then, you are dismissed."

Vladimir left the principal's office and left for his cave, unaware of the two eyes following his movement.

"Heheheh. So you've finally come."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Dodgeball! Rooftop Showdown!

_P.E. Class_

Class 2-A's Ako, Yuna, Makie, and Akira were hitting a volleyball to each other in the school's courtyard.

"Here you go!"

"Got it!"

"So, everyone, it has been 5 days since Negi-sensei and Vladi-kun have arrived at the school. What do you think of them so far?"

"Negi-kun isn't bad, being cute and all, while Vladimir is hot, but the only thing he does is sleep."

"Negi-kun really is giving his best, isn't he?"

"Even so, next year is exam year. Can we really rely on him?"

"So what? This school is an escalator until university."

"When it comes down to it all, he is only ten years old. There's some stuff that we just can't talk to him about like we could with Takahata-sensei."

"You're right. It's more like WEshould be listening to HISproblems." Yuna said.

"Hahaha! You mean as his experienced "onee-samas"?" Makie asked while punching the volleyball upwardly.

A group of girls in black uniforms interrupted them with, "Sheesh… throw the ball properly, why don't you? You guys as experienced onee-samas? Don't make us laugh."

"Y-you guys are…"

_Meanwhile in the Teacher's Office_

Shizuna walked up to Negi and asked, "Negi-sensei, how is your teacher's training coming along? Have you got a feel for it yet?"

"N-not yet," Negi replied weakly. "I'm younger than everyone else, so I get treated like a kid and no one comes to me for advice or anything…"

"NEGI-SENSEI!" Ako and Makie screamed while bursting through the door.

"Y-yes?"

"There's a fight on the school grounds! Look at this wound!" they plead.

"WHO WOULD DO SUCH A THING!?" Negi yelled.

_Back in the Courtyard_

"Take this! Student senior attack!" one of the seniors launched a ball at Akira, which hit her in the arm.

"STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" Negi came running through the courtyard, waving his arms rapidly. "WHO HAS BEEN HURTING MY STUDENTS!?"

All eyes turned to Negi.

"…"

"…What's with everyone?" Negi asked.

"HE'S SO CUTE!" the seniors squealed as they jumped him.

"EH!? Let me go!"

"I've got dibs on him first!"

"Let me have him!"

"Let me touch him, too!"

**WHOMP!**

A volleyball was slammed into the senior's leader's head.

"STOP THAT, YOU OLD HAGS!"

"What the hell was that!?" the senior screamed as she turned around.

"ASUNA-SAN, IINCHO-SAN!" Negi cried.

Iincho came forward and said, "This place has always been used by class 2-A. May I ask you OLD ladies to vacate the premises?"

"WHAT DID YOU CALL US!?"

"In short, old women like you belong in retirement homes. GET LOST!" demanded Asuna.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?"

"My, my. What's with this ruckus?" asked Takahata, who came out of nowhere. "I don't approve of fighting amongst girls, you know. Sorry everyone. However, you seniors do need to behave more mature towards middleschoolers."

With that the seniors left the courtyard.

_Changing Rooms_

"Takahata-sensei sure was cool back there."

"Yeah…"

"Now HE is someone you can rely on. Negi couldn't do anything and where was Vladimir?"

_Meanwhile on the School's Roof_

Vladimir woke up to a loud noise.

"Who's here?" he asked. He looked around and saw the seniors that were playing Volleyball looking back at him.

"IYAA! PERVERT!" they all screamed.

"W-what!?"

"You've been spying on us haven't you? Why else would a guy be here?"

"I was not spying on you people. If I was spying on anyone, then they would need to be hot. I'm here because I'm helping a teacher here."

"…"

"…What?"

"Did you just say we were all ugly?"

"Um… no, I think. Did I?"

"You did, you pervert!" One of the seniors launched a ball at Vladimir.

"Not good," Vladimir said as he tried to jump out of the way, but fell while doing so. "Ouch."

The door leading from the school to the roof opened. The class of 2-A arrived.

"Ah, you guys are finally here. Now you guys can talk to them. I'm going back to sleep," Vladimir said.

"WHY ARE YOU GUYS HERE!?" asked class 2-A.

"To play volleyball, what else?" they replied.

"You guys have a volleyball court near your dorms. You did this on purpose!" Asuna said.

There was a fierce argument going on. Negi was wondering what he should do when he saw Vladimir's eyes open in a violent manner.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! YOU SENIORS ARE SO ANNOYING!" Vladimir yelled, then went back to sleep.

This seemed to quiet everyone down.

"How about this?" Negi asked. "What if we have a sporting contest between these two classes to resolve the dispute?"

"AGREED!" everyone answered.

"What if we play dodgeball instead? You have more people than us, but we're older than you. Wouldn't that be more advantageous for you?" asked the senior leader.

"Okay!" Class 2-A agreed.

"Just one condition. If we win, Negi is ours," the seniors said.

"We should win, anyways," Asuna said.

"But what will we do if we lose? Will Vladi-kun be our new teacher?"

Vladimir's eyes shot open.

"Give me a ball," he demanded. "There's no way that I am being a teacher."

That started the dodgeball game. Vladimir took the ball, infused it with ki, and threw it at the leader. The ball's speed was so high that the senior couldn't see it. The ball bounced back to Vladimir and he threw it at another senior. He did this until all of the seniors were out. In the end, 3 seniors were knocked out, and the rest were bruised.

"Scary," said one of the students in class 2-A.

And thus, the dodgeball game was won by class 2-A without anyone getting taken out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Great Baka Rangers' Expedition of Library Island

_Principal's Office_

"I see. So Negi is doing well?"

"Yes, Mister Principal, he is," replied Vladimir. "He gets along great with his students. If it was up to me, he'd be a permanent teacher."

"Isn't that a bit too much information from someone who is always asleep? Also, aren't you supposed to be a student, too? I need to get you registered so that you can take the end of term exams."

"Eh… that's going to be boring."

"That's it! Here! Give this letter to Negi."

"Will do, sir."

_The Next Day…_

Negi was walking through the school halls with Yuna and Sakurako. Negi turned his head into one of the classrooms and noticed everyone was studying extremely hard.

"Every class seems to be working hard," he said.

"Yep! End of term tests are coming up, Negi-sensei," Yuna exclaimed.

"They're next Monday," Sakurako finished.

"Hmm… that must be tough… WAIT A SECOND! Class 2-A has them as well!" yelled Negi.

"It doesn't really matter. This school is an escalator school. Besides, our class always has the lowest scores," Sakurako stated, then pointed at a large, flowery trophy, "and that trophy goes to the best classroom."

"Hey, Negi!" said Vladimir as he ran to Negi, while Yuna and Sakurako were leaving. He got out the letter. "The principal wanted me to give you this."

"Oh, thanks. Let's see. It says:

Dear Negi-kun,

This is your final task. If class 2-A is no longer the worst class after these

next exams, you will be recognized as an official teacher.

Principal Konoe, Mahora Academy

PS- If it is still the lowest ranking class, then you will be sent home and Vladimir will be the new teacher."

"Vladimir, I think you should read this, too," said Negi as he gave Vladimir the letter.

"Humph… well, all we have to do is get second worst or greater. That shouldn't be too hard."

"Y-your right. Let's go to class."

_In Class_

"Today, we're having a big cram session for homeroom period. It's almost time for the end of term exams! Um… well, something really bad will happen (to me) if we're the lowest ranking class again. Everyone, please do your best."

Everyone, except for Vladimir, who was sleeping in the usual corner, stared at Negi, thinking about what could be so bad about being last in ranks.

"Sensei! I've got a suggestion! Let's do English phrase study Yakyuken!"

(A study method involving baseball? Intriguing,) thought Negi. "Okay."

"WAIT A SECOND, NEGI! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT IT IS!" screamed Asuna, but was ignored by Negi who was reading everyone's overall ranking in the school.

(Eck… three of my students are the worst in the school…) Negi thought.

Suddenly, someone's thrown bra landed on Vladimir, which woke him up.

"What the hell?" Vladimir asked as he picked up the bra, then looked up and saw a many of the girls without some of their clothing on. "Wow." Blood shot out of his nose and he lost consciousness.

"Ah! Vladimir, what's wrong… WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE DOING!?" Negi screamed when he noticed the girls.

"It's Yankyuken! If you can't answer, then you strip!"

(I knew it! Those five did the worst. Hmm… what to do… there is that spell that will make someone smart for three days, but then they'll be stupider in about a month…. Well, desperate times call for desperate measures!) Negi thought.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT!?" Asuna yelled at Negi. "You shouldn't rely on your magic all of the time! Also, you go home if someone finds out about your magic. If we suddenly get smart, then wouldn't someone find out about it? And take a look at these." Asuna brought out a notebook with some papers in them.

"Ah! You can do it! (But these marks are still bad.)"

"Yeah. Even I've been trying. I don't really know about your ambition to become a great mage or anything, but a teacher who is only half-heartedly wants to teach… I'd feel sorry for the students," Asuna exclaimed.

_Outside_

Negi was pacing back and forth trying to think of a solution for the problem.

(I can't believe that I thought magic would solve my problems. I KNOW! I'll seal my magic for three days.) Negi thought. "_O, power of the Covenant! Bind my power for three days! _Alright! Time to prepare for class tomorrow!"

Negi walked off while the girls were in the baths talking about what kind of a wretched fate they may have if they are the lowest ranked class.

_Library Island_

"So, let me get this straight. This girl here, Yue, knows of a book here that can enhance a persons knowledge?" said Vladimir as he was walking with Negi, Nodoka, Konoka, Haruna, and the Baka Rangers (Asuna, Ku Fei, Yue, Makie, and Kaede).

"That's right. Library Island is extremely large and very old. It's the largest library in the world. It has many traps in it, so be on guard," said Yue.

Excluding Nodoka and Haruna, everyone went inside to explore the library.

"This is the 3rd level of the library. Normally, middle schoolers aren't allowed any further," said Yue.

"Ugh…" Vladimir suddenly clutched his head.

"What is it, Vladimir?" asked Negi.

"This feeling… how nostalgic. I sense someone's presence."

The party continued on through the library. Many traps were set off, but somehow no one was hurt by them. The group was walking on top of a bookshelf when Vladimir suddenly fell to his knees and started gasping for breath.

"V-Vladimir, what's wrong?"

"He's here. Negi hurry onwards. NOW! It's too dangerous!" yelled Vladimir.

"No! Let me help you!" replied Negi.

"Have you forgotten your seal!? Besides, the students' safety is the most important thing right now!" bellowed Vladimir.

"O-okay."

The group continued on without Vladimir.

When they were out of sight, Vladimir called out to his stalker.

"Come out, Vladislov!"

"Heheheh… so you noticed me."

A tall figure approached Vladimir out of the darkness. When it was close enough to Vladimir, he could see the guy had red eyes, long, silver hair, and was wearing a cloak with the hood pulled down.

"So, we meet again."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The (Not-So) Epic Battle on Library Island

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Vladislov said. He took a few steps toward Vladimir. "Hmm… you're a few inches taller than me, now. The last time I saw you, I was twice your size."

"SHUT UP! DON'T ACT LIKE WE'RE FRIENDS!" Vladimir screamed.

"Such harsh words could hurt someone's feelings, Vladimir. I guess since the people who raised you died, you weren't taught any manners."

"DIED!? YOU killed them!"

"That's what I said, they died."

"Because of you!"

"Hey, it's not nice to accuse others of something. Besides, to me, they just happened to die when I stuck my sword into them. They were just too weak, unlike you."

"What do you mean?"

"What? You haven't found out, yet? Heheheh… so you're about to die without knowing why."

"YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO'S GOING TO DIE! _Sword of power, come onto me, Dragon's Bane, Ragnarok!"_

A long broadsword appeared in Vladimir's hands. The hilt was studded with rubies, and had its name, Ragnarok, engraved into its blade. The blade itself was partially red, and wasn't that wide.

"Your Dragon's Bane is _that_ puny thing? Heheheh… this will be easier than expected. _Dragon's Bane, Zantetsuken!_"

A light formed in Vladislov's hand. It expanded into the form of a large scimitar. Its blade was extraordinarily thick. The blade extended to about three feet. Unlike Vladimir's sword, Vladislov's had no decorations. It had a silver blade and a black hilt.

"Do you remember this sword, Vladimir? You should. It's the last thing you saw before you warped out of the village," Vladislov said in a provoking way.

"Things will be different, this time. I've been training relentlessly. And I now have the assistance of four dragons."

"Even if you had an unlimited amount of dragons, you will never be able to defeat me. _Dragon Activation! Grant me your strength, Dragon Lord of Darkness!_"

A black aura surrounded Vladislov, causing him to become even more camouflaged by the darkness of the library.

"What's wrong, Vladimir? Why aren't you activating your pacts with your dragons? You scared?" taunted Vladislov.

"I'll show you! _DRAGON ACTIVATION! Dragons of flame, earth, water, and air, give me your powers!"_

A strong wind started spiraling around the two. Vladimir's sword was on fire, and he had two dragon wings protruding from his black; one made of water, the other of stone.

"Impressive, you can even do a partial dragon fusion. Well then, show me your strength."

Vladimir vanished and appeared right behind Vladislov and tried stabbing him. However, Vladislov moved out of the way without turning around.

"Too slow."

Vladimir started chanting a spell. "_Elements of Earth, gather to me! 1000 arrows of earth, wind, fire, and water!"_

Hundreds of small orbs gathered around Vladimir. "_Burst Fire!_"

The orbs shot out magical rays all over the place, causing many of the bookcases to fall over and several traps were set off. The vortex around the two fighters prevented anything from coming into or out of it. There were so many explosions that the vortex became a dusty tornado in the middle of the library. When Vladimir's magical orbs stopped shooting arrows, and the dust cleared away, Vladimir looked around for Vladislov, but couldn't see him anywhere.

"Heheheh… normally that would've worked, Vladimir. However, one of my dragon's abilities is to hide within the shadow of something. It just so happened that this time, it was _yours _that I hid in."

Vladimir turned around and saw a figure climbing out of his shadow as if it was a hole in the ground.

"I-impossible!"

"Thanks to your tornado, it was able to break a whole in the ceiling and some of the moonlight made you cast a shadow. So, in other words, you lose."

The vortex around them suddenly vanished.

"No! I can't lose!"

"Let's face it. You used all your magic in that one attack, a foolish move. You know as well as I do that when you run out of magic, your dragons go back to sleep within you. Now, let's end this."

Vladislov walked over to Vladimir and punched him. This sent Vladimir flying into the only bookcase left standing in that floor of the library.

"Your abilities are great, but your performance is horrible. Well, say 'hi' to the others I've killed for me. _Eclipse!"_

A shining black light formed in Vladislov's hand. When he extended it, the light shot towards Vladimir's body. There was an enormous explosion that shook the whole library.

"Hmm… it's weird. I didn't notice your presence until just now," Vladislov said as he turned around and looked up.

"Good work, Chachamaru!"

"Thank you, master."

Evangeline and Chachamaru were hovering above Vladislov. Chachamaru was holding an unconscious Vladimir.

"Okay, con artist! Where'd did you get that dark magic? I created it, but I've never seen something like that."

"You created the power of darkness? Don't make me laugh. This power has been in this world since the beginning of time. In reality, _you_ are the con artist. But if you want to fight about, I'd be happy to."

"Um… no. I have a better idea. CHACHAMARU LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!"

Chachamaru and Evangeline left with Vladimir.

"Heheheh… you live yet again. I could chase you, but I have more important things to do right now, like finding that magical book for instance."

_Meanwhile with Negi's party…_

"Final Question! What is the translation for 'dish'?"

"It's 'osara'!"

Somehow, Negi and everyone had to play a game of twister with a giant stone golem so that they could get the magical book, only if they won. They had to spell the translation for a word using a twister bored, which had just about every sound known to man on it. However, on the last question, the translation for 'dish', Asuna accidentally pressed 'ru' instead of 'ra'.

"That is WRONG!" yelled the giant.

Suddenly, an extremely powerful tremor shook the whole room. The giant lost its balance and fell on the twister board, almost killing everyone. The twister board broke and everyone fell into the hole that appeared.

_Evangeline's Cottage 2 days later…_

"Oi! Wake up! How long do you plan on taking up my bed!? GET UP!" Evangeline angrily yelled at Vladimir, who had been knocked out for two days.

"Eh…" Vladimir moaned.

"GET UP!" Evangeline roared while stepping on Vladimir. "Seriously! Don't you get enough sleep in class!?"

"Eck… Ow! What the… Why are you standing on me? Wait a second, what happened in the library?"

"FINALLY! You're awake!" Evangeline screamed, apparently ignoring Vladimir's questions. "You've been nothing but trouble these past two days. First, Chachamaru and I saved you, then we had to use a bunch of medicine on you. But that's not all! I've had to sleep on the couch these last two days! You have some serious explaining to do!"

"Evangeline? You saved me? Why? Aren't you a criminal?"

"I'm the Queen of Darkness. But that guy had dark powers, too. I can't just let someone claim my title. So I needed you to tell me about him and you dragon knights."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious! You should understand your opponent before you fight them! And you seem to be the only person who knows about that guy. So, hurry up and tell me about everything I want to know!"

"Okay. I can't really do anything with these injuries anyways. I guess I'll tell you about us dragon knights, and especially about Vladislov, my brother."

* * *

**A/N: Don't ask me how a light can be black. It just is, okay?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I had no clue what to call this one. I'd appreciate it if anyone would review my story and tell me how to become better. Also, I apologize for any dulness and improper work used in this story.**

Chapter 7: The Flashback (beat that in originality)

_Birth of Dragon Knights_

Several millennia ago, there was a great war between two factions; one thought magic would only corrupt people's hearts and should be locked away, the other thought magic was a necessity for life. During this time, there was only one world, Gaia. The war lasted for hundred's of years. Finally, a great mage known as Vargas was able to gain incredible powers and put a stop to the war. And to protect the people who could use magic, the world was split into Earth and the current magical world. But the amount of people who could use magic was far less than those that couldn't, so the bigger planet was given to the non-magical race of people. The race with no magic soon forgot about magic.

Vargas, the hero of the war, was the first dragon knight. No one knows exactly how he received the knowledge to do so, but he was granted astounding powers. To become a dragon knight, one must have extraordinary magical powers. They must forge a blade using that power. When this happens, the person loses all of their magical abilities. The blade is a solid form of their magic, and the magical properties make it extremely powerful against magical beasts. The more magic something has, the better the sword works against it.

Dragons are said to have given birth to magic, so the swords work best against dragons. That is why the swords are called Dragon Banes.

The abilities that a dragon knight gains come from pacts with dragons. Since a dragon knight normally has no magic, they can't really form a pact by themselves. The hilt of their Dragon Bane has the power to make a pact with dragons only. The dragon knight has to tap the hilt of the sword on the dragon's head to make a pact. This is basically the same concept of a mage making a pactio with another person, except the dragon grants its powers to the dragon unlike when a mage grants the person magical enhancements.

The powers a dragon gives a dragon knight differs between dragons. However, Vargas obtained a power that was so strong that he was able to single-handedly stop the war that waged for several centuries.

_Dragon Knights_

Vargas married one of the world's most powerful women. She became the second dragon knight. They seemingly disappeared from the world. However, they simply moved to the mountains of what is now known as Russia. This was a place that no one could find them easily and they could live without much distress due to their dragons changing their ways of life.

The dragons caused Vargas and his wife to stop aging. They also started to obtain keen senses and made strange habits, like eating animals raw. Another ability they have is being able to talk to animals, and when they want to talk to their dragons, they have to go to sleep, unless they activated their dragons. A dragon will grant the dragon knight its power only if the dragon knight activates its powers by saying a few words. The powers of the dragon are limited to only what the dragon only deems the dragon knight worthy of using, so some dragon knights aren't able to use their dragons' full powers.

The two dragon knights had several children over the many millennia that passed. The fate of someone is decided when they are born. When the child of a dragon knight is born, their magical abilities are measured. If they may be able to obtain a Dragon Bane, then they are kept in the small village that developed over the period of time. If the baby has no chance, or very little chance, of obtaining a Dragon Bane, then they are abandoned in towns all over the world. Very little children are actually born with those magical powers since some of the older ones marry non-magical people. The town had at the most no more than 500 people, and many dragon knights would die when fighting dragons, especially their first.

20 years ago, a baby was born. The parents were Vargas and his wife. They named him Vladislov. For some reason, he had extraordinary magical powers. He was able to forge a Dragon Bane at the age of 8, when most of the dragon knights couldn't do that until at least their 20's. Vladislov had many special powers. He made a pact with his first dragon when he was 9. That dragon was just a baby flame dragon, but, with Vladislov, was able to have powers beyond compare. He was to be the clans next ruler if something were to ever happen to Vargas.

Or that was so until 15 years ago. That was when Vladimir was born. When Vladimir was being born, there was an accident in the birth process and Vladimir was said to only have a few hours to live. To save his life, Vargas forced one of his dragons to make a pact with Vladimir, despite Vladimir not even having a Dragon Bane. A dragon dies if its dragon knight does, so the dragon that was in Vladimir used much of its magic to save Vladimir.

The morning after that, Vladimir was seen with his small hands trying to grasp onto a sword that was about four feet long, his Dragon Bane. As Vladimir grew, he could grasp almost everything instantly. Thanks to his dragon, a powerful fire dragon, he was able to gain the powers of a wind dragon at the age of 4. And right before he turned five, he obtained the power of and earth dragon. He was said to be a child prodigy, and instead of Vladislov being the heir, Vladimir became it.

Shortly after Vladimir's birthday, a shrine was found in the mountains. A dark force made the air dense around it and only the most powerful of dragon knights could enter it. To check it out, Vargas sent Vladislov to it. When he came back, he looked as if he saw a ghost and said that he was to be forever cursed. A few days later, the dense air around the shrine was no more. Vladislov got into a lot of trouble for the next few weeks. He even was thought to have killed an expedition team that went to help a group of people that were lost near the village. When someone arrived, Vladislov had his Dragon Bane out. It was smeared in blood and the corpses of the expedition team as well as the group who were lost were on the ground with countless injuries in them. The village decided to put Vladislov into a special prison which prevented someone from activating a pact and also negates all but the most powerful of magic.

_The End of the Clan: A Few Weeks After Vladislov's Imprisonment_

"THE VILLAGE IS ON FIRE! GET AWAY!"

The dragon knight saw something from the corner of his eye. The figure was Vladislov, who had a black cloak on.

"_Eclipse!_"

A black light shot from Vladislov's hand to the house of Vargas.

"Chief! Vladislov, why are you doing th…"

Vladislov shoved his Dragon Bane, Zantetsuken, into the dragon knight. The man looked down and saw that the blade went straight through his whole body. The man looked around and saw only a few houses left standing.

"You… always were… too strong. I don't know what happened… but you are different then you once were," the dragon knight said.

A small boy, Vladimir, crawled out of the debris of his house.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you!?" the kid screamed.

"Vladimir, get away from here!"

Vladislov took his Dragon Bane and ripped it through the man's head.

"Heheheh. You talk too much, old man."

Vladimir saw this and brandished his much-to-big Dragon Bane.

"Vladimir, you think you can stop me? You barely can even use your Dragon Bane. The dragons you obtained didn't even fight you. And you may be the heir of the clan, but you have much to learn."

"SHUT UP, BROTHER! WHERE'S MOTHER AND FATHER!?"

"My, my. All you care about are your mother and father. What about the rest of this tiny place? And more importantly, what about _you_?"

Vladislov ran at Vladimir with his sword ready to kill. Suddenly, a bright light engulfed Vladimir. When it was gone, Vladimir was no where to be seen.

"Heheheh… looks like you live. Nevertheless, you will always be powerless against me."

Vladislov walked off into the dark woods.

_Wales, England_

Vladimir was walking through the halls of the magic academy. He was just accepted to the school and was given a place to stay. He had tears in his eyes, but the cloaked figure that apparently teleported him to England crouched down in front of him. Vladimir saw that the figure had red hair, but couldn't tell anything else through his tears and the darkness of the night.

"Mother, father…" Vladimir cried.

"Don't skulk around like that, please. I already feel bad about not being able to be with my kid, so you talking about wanting your mother and father just makes it worse for me."

"Who… are you?"

"Well, I can't really tell you that. But know that you won't have to be sad anymore. The people here will definitely look after you."

And with that, the stranger left.

Vladimir continued on with his life. A few years later, Vladimir was able to make a pact with a water dragon. Then, a after that, Vladimir met Negi, who for some reason reminds Vladimir of the stranger that rescued him.

_Evangeline's Cottage_

"Bo-ring," Evangeline said. "I really wanted to learn more about Vladislov."

"Sorry, but I don't even know much about him," Vladimir replied.

Evangeline looked at Vladimir and noticed how strong his desire is to find and kill his brother.

Evangeline smiled and said, "You have a pretty dark aura around you, kid. What if I said that I would train you?"

"Could you? You don't seem that powerful."

Evangeline suddenly got angry and started yelling, "IT'S NOT MY FAULT SOME MAN DECIDED TO SEAL AWAY MY POWERS! AND ALL I WAS TRYING TO DO WAS HELP YOU!"

"Eh… sorry. But do you think you could help me?"

"Of course I can, you idiot. I'm not a wanted criminal for nothing. Besides, I use the powers of darkness just like your brother. Come with me to my special training area."

And with that, Vladimir followed Evangeline to her "resort."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mahou Sensei Negima.**

**A/N: I'm not too sure if I'm improving or not, but here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 8: The Door to Darkness

"Oi! Get up! It's morning already!"

Vladimir opened his eyes just in time to see Evangeline shove her foot in his face.

"Eck! What the hell was that for?" asked Vladimir as he lifted Evangeline's foot from his face.

"How long do you plan on resting? You've been asleep for nearly 10 hours! My training isn't that hard."

"10 HOURS! AGH! WE MISSED THE EXAM! OUR CLASS WILL DEFINITELY COME IN LAST, NOW!"

"I didn't explain this place to you, yet? In this place, 24 hours is actually only one in the real world."

"Don't you think that you should've told me that earlier? What else haven't you told me?"

"Well, let's see… since I'm training you, I will require some of your blood for payment. It's hard to stay healthy for me if I don't get enough blood."

"Oh, did I not tell you? Dragon blood is poisonous if a large quantity is consumed."

"Now who's the one hiding things? That could have killed me!"

"I thought you knew! I mean, you've been alive for hundreds of years. You should know that! If you didn't know that then do you know what dragon blood CAN be used for?"

"Indulge me."

"If someone without magical powers ever drinks about one fluid ounce of dragon blood, they will temporarily gain magical powers. However, if a mage consumes more than a drop, they will have an extreme magical fever that can be life-threatening. On the other hand, some mages don't get sick, and their magic becomes more powerful."

"…"

"What?"

"When I first met you, you wouldn't say anything. Now you won't shut up! What makes you think I'm interested in that?"

"Well, you're the one that asked."

"Shut up! We're going to train."

Vladimir saw that Evangeline was pissed, so, to get her even angrier, he slowly got out of bed and slowly changed his clothes. By the time he was finally finished Evangeline had many throbbing veins popping all over her face.

"Are you angry about something?"

"Oh, no. I really enjoyed waiting for you to get ready. I mean, I guess you DO need to be ready for my special training," Evangeline said with heavy sarcasm.

"Special training with Kitty-chan. It's a dream-come-true," Vladimir replied with his sarcasm.

"Whoever said something about me training with you? I'm just taking you to where you are going to train. Follow me."

"Okay."

"Oh, one more thing…"

Evangeline turned around and looked straight at Vladimir.

"What?" Vladimir asked.

"DON'T EVER REFER TO ME AS 'KITTY'!" Evangeline screamed as she punched Vladimir, who was sent flying by the punch and landed sprawled out on the floor.

"Mental note: don't ever piss off Evangeline anymore. Now, let's continue," Vladimir said as he was rubbing his cheek.

Evangeline led Vladimir down many flights of stairs and hallways.

"So, how do you like this place?" Evangeline asked, trying to break the silence.

"I don't know. I mean, all I see are poorly lit hallways and doorways with no doors. Man, these decorators really have poor tastes**1**," Vladimir said with a smile.

"Very funny. We're all bawling with laughter. Look, we're almost there."

Vladimir and Evangeline were in front of a door that was about two stories high.

"Wow. This is the only door in this place and it's gigantic. Seriously, were you using this large door to make up for the rooms that don't have doors?"

"Shut up."

"Um… are we going inside?"

"No, you are."

"Shouldn't you come in, too? I mean you ARE my trainer."

"No. This is a special room that only allows one person in it at a time. Within it, a person must face the darkness of their heart. When you go in, you won't be able to come out without defeating your darkness, but you will obtain a strong weapon. Are you ready to face the darkness?"

"Why, yes I am. If it'll help me fight against my brother, then I will."

Vladimir opened the door and walked into the room.

"Wow. All I see is a big, empty room. How is this supposed to be dark?"

Vladimir turned around, but the door was gone.

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Suddenly, there was an earthquake and the floor gave way. Vladimir fell into what appeared to be a cave. A figure approached him in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Vladimir asked.

"Come on, it hasn't even been that long."

The figure came forward to reveal that it was Vladislov.

"What are you doing here!?"

"I am here to engulf you. I am your darkness that you must defeat."

"What do you mean!?"

"My, my… so full of questions. Well, let's get started."

"What about my question?"

"I don't feel like answering. Now, it's time for us to start."

Vladimir pulled out his Dragon Bane.

"Um… you really don't know what you're doing, do you?" the Vladislov replica asked.

"Of course I do! I will fight you to the death!"

"Well… um… you won't need your sword for what we'll be doing."

"What?"

A roulette table appeared before them.

"What is this?"

"What does it look like? It's a table."

"I meant what is it for?"

"Why, for our game of course."

"Game?"

"Yep. It's a game were the loser dies and the winner lives."

"It sounds interesting. What kind of game is it?"

"The person spins the roulette. Whatever it lands on is what happens. As you can see, it says add or lose a certain amount of points. These points are our life force. We start out with 1000 points. If it hits zero, then you die. If you gain points, you take them away from your opponent. If you lose points, you give them to your opponent. Now, GAME START!"

* * *

**1**- From P.A.N.I.C.S. of roosterteeth


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the delay.**

Chapter 9: Roulette of Death?

"Before we start, I need to ask you something. What do you mean by life force?" Vladimir questioned.

"Just that. When you lose your points, you actually lose part of your life energy and your opponent gains it. If you win, then your powers will double. If you lose, your darkness will take over you."

"What are the rules?"

"There aren't any."

"Okay. That's cool, I guess."

"How about you spin first."

"Fine with me."

Vladimir spun the roulette and it ended on a -500.

"What the… oh well."

Suddenly, an orb appeared above Vladimir and shot him in the head with a red light. Another orb appeared above the Vladislov replica and shot it with a blue laser.

"OUCH! What the hell is that!?"

"Oh, right. When you spin, the person whose points get deducted gets zapped by a red laser. The person who gains points gets zapped by a blue laser, although that one doesn't hurt. Looks like it's my turn."

The replica of Vladislov rolled the roulette which landed on a +200. The orbs shot the respective people. Vladimir took his turn and landed on a -200.

"Alright, this is fixed, isn't it?"

"In a way, it is. However, I told you there are no rules. The way the roulette works is that it looks into the heart of each player and sees the reason they believe they exist for. If it's dark, then their darkness, which is me, gains points unless the player changes his reason to live to something that is light. But, for you, it's useless!"

The replica rolled the roulette and it landed on +100.

"I win. And now, you will die."

The red laser orb appeared above Vladimir's head. Suddenly, he raised his hand above his head and yelled, "Dragon Bane, RAGNAROK!"

The blade appeared right as the laser shot. The laser hit the blade, reflected towards the Vladislov replica. Because it hit the wrong player, it malfunctioned and drained all the replica's points. The blue orb appeared above the replica to give it the points, but Vladimir jumped over the roulette table and tackled the replica to the ground. The blue beam shot Vladimir instead of the replica. The replica dissipated.

"Bravo," a high pitched voice said in the darkness.

"So, how long have you been watching, Eva-sama?"

Evangeline stepped through the darkness and walked to Vladimir.

"The whole time. Actually, I was controlling the roulette table and the replica of your brother."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that out. The replica just didn't give off too threatening of an atmosphere."

"Heheheh… You solved this problem in a better way than most people would. Most people would've just killed their opponent. That would be an easy win since there are no rules. And if something's dead, then they have no life force to lose."

"Well, I thought that if I killed the replica, then I would lose all of that life force and would have a rough time getting my strength back," Vladimir replied.

"Heheheh… You are very smart, Vladimir, because that's EXACTLY what would've happened."

"So what was this drill for exactly?"

"If you didn't find a way to win, I would've just absorbed your life force from the replica. But since you did win, you have twice your strength. Do you feel any different?"

"Not rea…"

Vladimir's bones started popping and his arm started to expand. His muscles grew to twice their size and Vladimir fell to the ground, conscience, but not moving.

"Do you feel any different, now?"

Vladimir tried saying something, but his words came out as mumbled sounds.

"I guess you're done with training, then. I'll let you rest until the test. Having your muscles grow to twice their size all at once is painful. Your body will need a few days to get used to it. Let's see, the test is in 8 hours, so that's about a week to rest…"

Evangeline walked out of the room where she put Vladimir down to rest.

_One Week Later_

"OI! VLADI-KUN! Get up! You have only 1 hour before the test!" Evangeline said as she tossed the sheets off Vladimir.

"Ehh… I'm up… wait, what did you just call me?"

"We don't have the time! I thought you wanted to make sure everyone was well prepared before the tests."

"Crap… you're right. Well, let's go!"

Vladimir practically jumped out of his bed, then changed his clothes in a record-breaking speed, and ran off to the real world.

"OI! Wait up! If you overdo yourself, then your muscles will fail you again!"

It was too late, Vladimir ran so fast that his muscles gave way. He was going so fast that he was already in the school's courtyard, but he went flying into a wall when his muscles failed.

_Infirmary_

"It looks like only your legs failed you this time. You'll have to take the test in the infirmary," Evangeline said.

"Thanks for coming to see me. But I was going so fast! I seriously think that I can outrun sound, now!"

"Yeah, I know you were going fast. Half the school collapsed because of you. Luckily, I miscalculated the time and it turns out that no one was in that part of the building at the time. But, man, the police are crawling all over the school because they think it was a bomb. Everyone besides you has to take the test in the courtyard."

_Meanwhile at Library Island_

Negi and friends were able to successfully get out of the library. They were walking home when Negi suddenly stopped moving.

"Negi? What is it?"

"I don't know. My legs stopped moving."

Just then he started walking again.

"Oh, I think I'm better, now."

The group continued on ahead, with Negi in the very back of the group. Negi felt a strange presence and turned around immediately.

"FINALLY! THE BOOK IS MINE!"

A figure that was fairly tall rose from Negi's shadow and was somehow not seen by the others.

"Wha… who are you!?" Negi asked aghast.

"Tell me, kid, do you know someone named Vladimir? He's my brother."

"Um… yes, why?"

"Give this to him." The figure ripped a page out of the book that Negi and his group went to Library Island for. "He'll answer all of your questions, most likely."

"Negi!" Asuna yelled. "Hurry up or we'll be late!"

Negi looked down at the page and back up, but the guy was gone. He decided that he would find out everything from Vladimir. He got his group together and left for the school.

Down an alleyway, Vladislov was looking through the book.

"Alas, the secret of Genesis is revealed!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Test of Death!

_Infirmary_

Evangeline walked into the room right as the school's late bells start ringing. In her hand is the test. She walked over to Vladimir and hands it to him.

"Alright, you have 3 hours to do this, although I don't really think you'll need it. I'll come back then, so you better be finished, or else!"

Evangeline pulled out a taser from her pocket, and then left the room.

"Where the hell does she get the stuff?" Vladimir asked himself as he reached for his pencil which was on the stand next to his bed. As soon as he grabbed the pencil, his arm popped.

"BLOODY HELL! Why does everything I do cause me pain!?"

Vladimir tried to bring his arm back to himself. However, his effort was futile.

"WHY DOES MY ARM HAVE TO BECOME LIMP NOW!? COULDN'T IT WAIT!? EVANGELINE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The pencil fell out of Vladimir's hands.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

Vladimir forced himself to turn in the bed and tried reaching for the pencil with his other hand. It, too, popped and went limp.

"Today is just not my day, is it?"

As soon as he said that, the test was pushed by the breeze of an open window from Vladimir's lap towards the fire place in the infirmary.

"HOLY SH…!"

The shock of what was about to happen made Vladimir jump up suddenly, which caused him to fall out of the bed and slam his head into the ground.

Vladimir started talking to himself in his frustration.

"Why put a fireplace in the infirmary, anyways!? I thought it was made to help people, not kill them! And also, who left the window open!? What if a bee or something came in and stung me? I'd sue, that I would! The school has no clue of my medical history! I mean, I could be allergic to bees. Well, I'm not, but still! THEY don't know that!"

Vladimir looked towards the fireplace from where he was on the ground. He tried judging the distance until he saw a spider trying to climb on his arm.

"SPIDER! GET IT OFF! I HATE SPIDERS!!"

Vladimir closed his eyes because he thought he was about to get bitten.

"Wait a minute… I have the power of dragons and I'm afraid of a tiny spider? Well, I'll show it whose boss!"

Vladimir opened his eyes and saw the spider standing right in front of his face just staring at him.

"IYA! The menacing spider is glaring at me! Get it away!"

_Meanwhile in the Courtyard_

Negi and his friends ran up to the school administrators to ask why everyone was outside. The administrators said that they had no time to talk because they were already late for the test. Negi's group had to take the test near the teachers because of their tardiness.

"Don't worry Negi, we'll be alright!" Asuna assured Negi.

Negi looked at the group and saw that they were all exhausted. His magical seal had been broken, now. He used a revitalizing spell to give them good stamina and vitality.

"That's all I can do for now. So, where's Vladimir?"

_Back at the Infirmary_

Vladimir had huge tears rolling down his face. More spiders crowded around him.

"It's all a bad dream. It's all a bad dream," Vladimir kept mumbling to himself.

Vladimir opened his eyes once again.

"Alright, spiders can't fly, but I can. _Dragon of the air, heed my call!_"

Wings sprang from Vladimir's back.

"ACK! WHY DOES THIS HURT SO MUCH!? DID MY MUSCLES REALLY GROW A LOT!? Alright! Dragon, you are dismissed. DISMISSED I SAID! NO, DON'T!"

Instead of being dismissed, the dragon decided to torture Vladimir a little more. He forced Vladimir to have dragon scales grow through his skin.

"WHY!? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU!?"

The wings and scales finally disappeared, along with the spiders that were blown away by the gut of wind caused by Vladimir's semi-transformation.

"I never knew a dragon could disobey my orders… this requires more research."

Vladimir's eyes fell upon a clock.

"CRAP! I only have one hour left! But how can I get all the way over there… wait a minute. Where'd the test go?"

Vladimir looked into the flames of the fire and saw some paper burning in it.

"NO! I COMMAND YOU TO JUMP OUT FROM THAT FIRE RIGHT NOW!"

Vladimir started nudging his way to the fireplace using his jaws. About half-way there, his face cramped up and he was now unable to move any parts of his body.

_One Hour Later…_

"Oi, Vladimir! Where are you?"

Evangeline walked through the door. Vladimir was still lying on the ground, unable to move or say anything or even make a sound. From where Evangeline was standing, Vladimir was not visible because of one of the beds being in the way.

"Yes! Evangeline's here! I'm saved!" Vladimir thought.

"Hm… guess he's not here. Maybe the bathroom?" Evangeline walked out of the door and started towards the restrooms.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Vladimir thought.

Suddenly, he heard Evangeline walk by the door saying, "That's right. That idiot broke the bathroom. Then again, it IS only for girls. So maybe there's one for guys and teachers. I'll go check the office."

"COME BACK! I'm right here!" Vladimir thought.

Evangeline appeared flying through the infirmary doors.

"I forgot you can't move, Vladimir. But then again, where are you?"

She walked around the room and saw Vladimir on the floor.

"Alright, get up! And why didn't you answer me?"

Vladimir tried as hard as he could, but couldn't open his mouth.

"Silence, eh? I guess I'll just force the answers from you!"

The vampire put on some brass knuckles and slugged Vladimir.

"OW! That punch was twice as hard as Jack Bauer's, that's half as hard as Chuck Norris!**1** Wait a minute… I can speak again!"

Vladimir suddenly regained control of his entire body.

"Hey! I can move again!"

"Hold it, Vladi-kun! You mean to tell me that you were incapable of speaking? Never mind. Where's your test."

"Um… about 6 feet behind you and your height straight down."

Evangeline turned around and saw the fireplace.

"You've gotta be frickin' kidding me! I told you to finish it, not destroy it! PUNISHMENT!"

Evangeline whipped out her taser and jabbed Vladimir with it, causing him to fall unconscious.

_The Next Morning…_

Vladimir woke up.

"Oh my goodness. It was just a dream."

"What was?" Evangeline said.

"I dreamt that we had the test, and you left the window open, so a gust of wind blew the test into the fire. And I was afraid of spiders! SPIDERS! Tell me, why would I be afraid of spiders!?"

"Just to tell you, that was not a dream. And did you say you were afraid of spiders?"

Evangeline reached in her pocket and threw a glass vile on him. The vile shattered and hundreds of small spiders flew out of it.

"IYAA!!" Vladimir screamed as if he were a little girl.

"My image of you is so screwed up right now," Evangeline said as she killed all of the spiders that were apparently wrapping Vladimir in a web.

"Thank you so much. By the way, what happened yesterday?"

"Well, I shocked you with this taser, which caused your heart to stop beating, so I shocked you again. Somehow, that healed you. And the principal found out what happened here and decided since you already graduated from college that there really is no need for you to be a student here. You are now Negi's assistant teacher."

"NOOOOOOOOO!!"

"You done with your death screams, yet? By the way, Negi is looking for you. He has something from your brother to give you."

"Okay. Thanks, Eva-chama."

Evangeline left the room and went to class. Vladimir soon followed.

_After School on the Rooftops_

"So that's what this is about?" Negi asked.

Vladimir had just finished explaining about the dragon knights in the same way he did with Evangeline.

"Didn't you have something for me, Negi?" Vladimir asked.

"Oh, yeah! This came from a guy who said he was your brother. He was kind of creepy, especially how he climbed out of my shadow. But since our class got the highest scores, I can now help you find your brother."

Vladimir took the paper from Negi. On the page, there was a picture of 8 dragons. One made of fire, one of water, one of rock, one of clouds, one was seen on a meteor, on was coming out of the sky with the sun radiating on it, one was seen laying on a pendulum, and the last one was shown eating a heart. The back of the page had the following written on it:

The dragons were the first existences. They gave birth to the elements of our universe. Without even one of them, the balance of the worlds would be messed up and everything will cease to exist. The four basic elements are what most people hear about, so the others are normally forgotten. The basic elements are earth, wind, fire, and water. Most mages use spells of these elements. However, some powerful mages can use the power of the other four dragons. The lesser of those four are the Dragon Lord of Time and the Dragon Lord of Space. The remaining two dragons have equal power, but if one were to utilize its full strength, the galaxy would be destroyed. These dragons lords are the Dragon Lord of Darkness and the Dragon Lord of Light. Having said that, even though some of these dragon lords are stronger than the others, they all have unmatched power. They all share the same lineage. They were born of the Goddess of Dragons that was sealed along with the Dragon Lord of Darkness after the great war between the mages and the commoners.

That was all that was written.

"Hmm… that's interesting. Even I didn't know about that. But what does my brother want? If it's power, then he'll just die anyways. According to this, the dragons are more powerful than any others… unless… NO WAY! THAT CAVERN THAT HE WENT TO COULD'VE BEEN THE PLACE WHERE THE SHADOW DRAGON WAS SEALED! Negi, I know you guys are planning a trip to Kyoto, but I'll be in Russia for that period of time. I'll try to come back as soon as I can!"

"Wait! I can't keep so many girls in order by myself!"

"Don't worry. You do fine when I'm asleep in class. Besides, I won't be long."

"Um… Vladimir? Why DO you sleep so much in my class?" Negi asked.

"Dragon knights can speak with their dragons in their sleep. Or if they really concentrate, then they can do it when they are awake, too. Which reminds me, I need to try to confirm this data with my dragons. They might not be able to remember all those millennia ago, but they may know something."

"Yeah… um… you go do that… I'm gonna go plan the trip."

"Okay, see you later!"

Vladimir fell asleep and entered his mind to where the dragons lived.

"Hello! I'm back. I needed to ask you guys a few questions!"

"Vladimir," One of the colossal dragons said, "we know why you have come. We can confirm that that is the truth. And if your brother does have the power of the Dragon Lord of Darkness, then we all may be doomed. You must hurry Russia!"

Vladimir woke and decided that it was about time he headed home. To his original home, that is.

**1**- I think that came from a video about abridged series. I can't remember exactly what it was, but please tell me if you know and I'll cite it.


	11. Subchapter 1

Chapter 10.5: The Mages Meet

_Start of the New Term_

"As you all know, the school is planning a trip to Kyoto and…"

The door to the new class, 3-A, opened, interrupting Negi's speech to the class. Shizuna entered the class.

"Negi-sensei! Today is the school health checkup. Please tell all students of class 3-A to prepare accordingly," Shizuna said.

Vladimir suddenly woke up from where he was, and stood up and quietly walked outside.

"Wait, isn't he part of the class, too?" asked one of the students.

"Not anymore. He's Negi's assistant, now."

"Hey, class!" Negi called out. "Um… we're having a health checkup today, so… take off all your clothes, please!"

The class all stared at Negi.

"Negi-sensei is ecchi!"

"Wait, that's not what I meant!" Negi yelled as he followed Vladimir out of the class.

"So, Negi, have you heard the rumors of vampire attacks at around the sakura trees near the dorms?" asked Vladimir.

"No, I haven't."

"That's strange. It's a pretty popular subject that the girls talk about a lot. Maybe we should investigate it. I already think I know who it is."

"Who?"

"I think you know as well."

"Um… Vladimir? I didn't even know about the vampire attacks. How should I know who it is?"

"Maybe you really haven't heard of her," Vladimir said out loud to himself.

"Who's her?"

"Never mind."

"If you say so. Um… when will you leave for Russia?"

"The day you leave for Kyoto. My trip shouldn't take that long, so I will probably meet with you guys sometime during it."

"Negi! Negi! Makie is… she's…!" a student yelled running down the hall.

The classroom door opened with many of the girls standing there yelling, "What!? What happened!?"

Most of the girls were still half-dressed, so, when Vladimir looked towards the door, his nose shot out blood.

"It looks like Vladimir is ecchi, too!" someone in the classroom yelled, laughing.

_Infirmary_

"Man, I hate this place," said Vladimir as he, Negi, and half of class 3-A walked in.

"Makie!" the class yelled.

"Apparently, she was found unconscious near the sakura trees."

The girls started mumbling amongst themselves.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal," one of them said.

"Maybe she drank too much amasake?" another asked.

"Well, it was hot yesterday, so maybe that caused her to collapse," Konoka said loudly.

Vladimir walked over to Makie's body and started examining it.

"Um… what are you doing?" Negi asked.

"Apparently, she has some holes in her neck…" Vladimir muttered. "Negi! I don't think the rumors are just rumors."

Negi became alert and walked briskly over to Vladimir.

Vladimir whispered to Negi, "Can you sense the magic?"

"Yes."

One of the girls brought up the rumor of the vampire, which caused a bunch of murmuring amongst them.

"Well, why don't we all just go back to class?" Negi asked as he walked towards the group.

The group started towards the room. Evangeline and Vladimir walked next to each other on the way back.

"Are you really that weak?" Vladimir asked in a whisper.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," Evangeline replied.

_That Night Near the Sakura Trees_

Nodoka left her friends and started down the lane of sakura trees.

"Will you be okay by yourself, Honya-chan?" Asuna asked.

"Don't worry, I won't take too long here."

A few minutes later, the wind picked up.

"The wind is strong tonight. I should hurry," Nodoka said to herself.

Nodoka felt someone looking at her. She looked towards the top of a light post and saw someone wearing witch's hat and a Dracula-like cape.

"Nodoka Miyuzaki, right? I'm sorry but I'll be taking some of your blood," the figure said. It jumped towards Nodoka.

"KYAAA!" Nodoka yelled, suddenly falling unconscious.

"Hold it!" Negi yelled as he rushed in, soon followed by Vladimir.

"_Arrows of Wind!_" Negi yelled.

The arrows crashed into a barrier that the figure cast.

"So it was you," Vladimir said.

"Heheheh… and? You're point?"

"If you need blood so badly, then why don't you just steal some from something that isn't human?"

"Um… maybe because of a spell that binds me to this school?"

"Oh, right. You did say something about that, didn't you?"

"Wait, Vladimir, you know her?" Negi asked.

"Yeah. She's in our class."

The figure threw off her hat to show the face of Evangeline.

"You are Evangeline, aren't you?" Negi asked.

"Looks like someone did there homework. But what does it matter?"

Negi launched another barrage of arrows, but to no avail.

"You are strong, boy, but you still have much to learn. You may be _his_ son, but you don't have his power."

"Just who are you? A mage, right? Why would you do this?"

"Because I'm an _evil_ mage. Now, how about you let me continue on with what I was doing?"

"I can't do that."

"Nor can I allow it," Vladimir stepped in.

"How can you oppose me, Vladi-kun. I'm the one who gave you new strength."

"You're right… however, if it wasn't for Negi's father, I would've died ten years ago. The man who saved me that day was Nagi Springfield, although I just realized it. But Negi is his exact image."

"Are you talking about the man who teleported you when your village was destroyed?"

"That would be the one."

"Fine. I try not to fight my own pupils. Although, let me ask you something, Negi. What is your goal?" Evangeline asked.

"I… want to be like my father!" Negi exclaimed.

"Well, why don't you become one of my pupils? I promise I won't attack any more of your students as long as you give me a suitable amount of blood for the lesson."

"You'll… train me? I'm sorry but you don't appear that strong to me."

"That's because her powers were sealed by your father. Haven't you heard of the great vampire that had a huge bounty on her head?" Vladimir asked.

"WAIT! You're _that_ Evangeline?" Negi said in shock.

"Duh, isn't it obvious? Your father sealed my powers as well as he gave me this body. If I drink enough of your blood, my powers will eventually be returned."

"Well, I guess it's okay as long as you don't kill me," Negi said.

"Fine."

Asuna appeared.

"What happened here?" she asked.

Suddenly an ermine appeared out of nowhere in Evangeline's hands.

"I thought I would need to fight you sooner or later, so I wanted to make sure that you couldn't make any contracts. Here he is."

"Yo! Aniki!"

Vladimir and Asuna had huge beads of sweat dropping down their heads and asked in unison, "It can talk?"

"Well of course. Asuna, I understand why you wouldn't know, but shame on you Vladimir! You know of the magical world but you've never seen a talking ermine before? What about the mages that get turned into ermines?"

"Mages get turned into ermines?" Vladimir asked. "Since when? And for how long? Will it interrupt my investigation?"

"Vladimir, you do know that magic is supposed to be kept secret, right? You are supposed to be turned to an ermine if you expose us," Negi explained.

"Well, the rules aren't something I worry about. I mean, even if I'm turned into something, I still will be able to use my dragons' powers. Nothing prevents what is fused with the body. Besides, I'd just blow anyone up if they tried to fight me. I'm pretty good at making C-4, you know."

"Um… I'm going to pretend like I understood that and then ask why a talking ermine appeared in Evangeline's hand," Asuna said.

"You see, I help Negi get partners," the ermine said. "A partner is someone who is magically enhanced by a mage through a contract. The contract only works if that person kisses the mage on the lips while in the contract circle. Speaking of which, why don't you make a contract with him?"

"Why would I do that!?"

"Not only will you be able to help him from danger, but you also gain special powers."

"No thanks!"

"Well, okay. There's 30 more girls to choose from anyways. And one guy if you're interested."

"There's no snowball's chance in hell that I'd _EVER_ do that," Vladimir said.

"What about you, vampire-lady?"

"Do you want to die you stupid ermine?"

"Aniki, your friends scare me."

And with there were no more attacks on any of the students.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Fieldtrips

A few weeks after the exams, a trip to Kyoto was planned by the principal. Due to a shaky relationship between two magical groups, Konoe sent Negi as a delivery boy to give a letter to the head of the magic association in Kansai to mend the relationship between Kansai and Kantou magic associations. Also, Negi found out from Evangeline that his father once lived in Kyoto, which made Negi even more excited about going. Also, this trip gave the construction workers more liberty on fixing the school since hardly anyone would be able to interfere with their repairs.

Negi and his students spent many restless days preparing for the big trip. Apparently, very few people would be left at school; some teachers, the principal, Chachamaru, and Evangeline. Vladimir got ready for his own trip to Russia.

_The Day of Departure_

"Asuna-san and Konoka-san! Good morning! Today is the day of the trip! Please wake up!" Negi squealed with joy as soon as he woke up.

"Ugh… so noisy," Asuna mumbled.

"We can't be late! Actually, teachers have to be there earlier! I should get going!" Negi yelled as he ran out the door.

"Does that mean that the students have more time?" Asuna asked. "I'm going back to sleep."

"You're starting to sound like Vladimir," Konoka said. "Speaking of which, do you know where he's staying?"

"Actually, I don't. You would've thought that Negi should be living with him, though. I mean, they are both guys…"

_Meanwhile in Vladimir's Cave Several Hundred Meters Under the Earth_

Vladimir woke up.

"Today is the day, isn't it?" he asked himself, forcing himself to come completely to his senses. "Why do I have such a great headache?"

Vladimir walked over to a room in his cave. Apparently, it was an underground bathroom. It even had an underground spring in it. Vladimir walked over to a cabinet that he brought into his cave, opened it, and took out some aspirin. Vladimir changed into his black mage robes. He would be flying using his dragon-wings, and if he's high enough in the sky, then he would look like a bird instead of a human to anyone watching him from below. From there, he walked the long stairway to where the cave began. Then, he brought out some transparent wings by activating the contract with his wind dragon, and he flew off.

_Train Station_

Negi came running through the entrance and saw that his class was already there. In all of the chaos caused by the energy the students had, the students finally were able to make it to their trains. Negi had to make sure all of his students that were going were accounted for.

"Let's see, that was the fifth group so… where's the other one?" Negi asked himself.

One of Negi's students, Setsuna Sakurazaki, approached him.

"I'm meant to be groups 6's leader; however Chachamaru and Evangeline aren't here. It's only Zazie and I. What should we do?" she asked Negi.

He replied with, "How about you go to Asuna's gourp, Setsuna-san. And you go to Iincho's group, Zazie."

Konoka looked to Setsuna with a hopeful look in here eyes.

"Se-chan, looks like we're in the same group," she tried to tell Setsuna.

Setsuna started to reply, but swiftly turned around and walked away.

_Meanwhile at Evangeline's Cottage_

"I bet Negi's almost there right about now. And Vladimir should be near the eastern border of Russia," Evangeline said, more to herself than to Chachamaru, who was standing right next to her.

"It's a shame you couldn't go, Master," Chachamaru said.

"A shame? Who'd want to go with them, anyways!?" Evangeline said in a annoyed voice.

"I thought that you wanted to go with one of them. Was I mistaken?" Chachamaru replied.

"What about you? You could've gone."

"I'd much rather stay at my master's side."

_Meanwhile Several Miles Inland of the Eastern Russian Coast_

"My head is starting to feel all funky, again," Vladimir moaned to himself.

He had been flying for nearly 3 hours. A bad storm had made Vladimir fall behind his schedule. He stumbled in the air and fell to the ground below, which turned out to be a large building. When he stood up, many people were around him with their guns pointing at him. He turned around and saw a nuclear missile, which he thought that he was in a missile silo. The men around Vladimir started getting closer to him.

"Who are you?" one of the people asked.

"Um… a civilian… I guess."

"You shouldn't be here. Nobody but us should be here. You must die!"

The group started firing at Vladimir, who thought that they would do something like that. He jumped high into the air and blocked the bullets with a shield of wind.

"Bring out the RPG's!" one of the people said.

"You guys have games here?" Vladimir asked with a dumbfounded look on his face.

More people came running towards the fray; many with rocket launchers.

"Oh… _that_ kind of RPG," Vladimir said.

Someone fired a rocket at Vladimir. Vladimir used the wind to alter its course. The missile flew behind Vladimir and collided with an open section of the nuke, causing it to detonate.

"Bloody h…"

Vladimir made a barrier around himself, protecting him from the gamma rays shooting everywhere. Vladimir decided that it would be a good time to leave. He didn't really want the world to find out that a 15 year old teenager detonated a nuke in Russia.

"You would've thought that a place like that would have better protection," Vladimir told himself.

Vladimir continued over to his destination. He arrived a few hours later. Before him stood the entrance to a cave. The cave which started the horrors of his life.

_Kyoto, Japan A Few Hours Earlier_

Negi's class was around the Kiyomizu Temple. The class was very excited about everything, just like how people should be on school trips.

"Hey! This looks like the place that you jump off…"

"Someone try jumping off!"

"Stop that!"

"Yeah! This is awesome!"

"Just below those steps is the famous Otowa Falls! If you drink from its three streams, then you'll stay healthy, do well in school, and even get married!"

"Let's go there!" a large group of the girls squealed.

The group had a fun day, but when they got to the falls and drank from it, they all passed out.

"It looks like they're drunk…" Yue told Negi.

Negi looked up and saw a barrel at the top of the falls. Somehow, without doing any suspicious activities that may or may not let others find out about his magic, he was able to get up the barrel in a few seconds.

"Wha… There's sake at the top of the waterfalls!" Negi yelled.

The class had to check in early to their hotels because over half the class was drunk.

"This is all because of that Setsuna girl," the talking ermine said.

"Well, I have gotten the feeling that she's been watching us ever since we followed those frogs and that… thing… to her on the train. However, just because she is always carrying an extremely long sword around doesn't mean anything. Actually, BECAUSE of the extremely long sword, I think we should help her do whatever it is she needs doing," Negi said.

"Maybe we should tell Asuna, Aniki."

_A Few Hours Pass by…_

"HYAAA!"

"What was that!?" Negi yelled as he grabbed his towel.

"I think it was Konoka-ojou-sama!" replied Setsuna as she, too, got her towel.

The two had just found each other in the baths and Setsuna was telling Negi that she was his ally. But before anything could happen, someone started screaming. They ran towards the room and burst through.

"What is it!?" Setsuna yelled as she threw open the door.

Konoka was staring at the T.V.

"The news!" she yelled.

"What!? You mean you weren't being attacked by perverted monkeys or anything?" Setsuna asked.

"Se-chan! This is the first time we've talked in a while!" Konoka said suddenly with a large smile.

Setsuna suddenly looked flustered and ran out the door. Negi came running in.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Oh, right. I was watching the news and apparently a nuclear bomb was set off in Japan. Satellites recorded that the detonation took place at an abandoned missile silo. Further investigation found out that a large terrorist group had began operating it," Konoka answered.

"And why were you yelling about that?"

"Because, a random satellite image showed something falling from the sky towards the building. The camera zoomed in to it and it showed that the person was Vladimir. A few minutes later, the detonation went off! The only explanation is that Vladimir valiantly fought off the terrorists, but was overwhelmed. He didn't want to die without doing something, so he set off the nuke." Konoka said in tears. "He died as a hero…"

"Um… I'm pretty sure that's not what happened. And I'm also sure that if someone fell from such a big height that they would die on impact."

"No! Vladimir died a hero's death! That's how it's supposed to go!"

"Um… how about I call him? If he picks up, then he's fine, and if he doesn't… well, let's just say that he's unavailable for now."

"Okay."

Negi went to a phone and dialed Vladimir's number. He then put it on speaker phone to prove that he was actually talking to Vladimir.

"Hello?" Vladimir said as he answered his phone.

"Oh, Vladimir! Your alive!"

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, the news reports showed you falling into a building ran by a group of terrorists. Then there was a nuclear detonation."

"You mean that was a terrorist group?"

"You mean that was you!? How'd you live?"

"I made an aerial barrier around myself."

"Barrier?" Konoka asked.

"Who the hell was that?" Vladimir asked.

"Um… that may have been Konoka, from our class," Negi answered.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I WAS ON SPEAKER PHONE!?" Vladimir yelled.

"Because she thought you died and I didn't think that you would bring up magic over the phone."

"Dangit! Oh, and by the way, I hope your paying for this call. Goodbye, and have a fun time explaining things to Konoka!"

Vladimir hung up and Negi and Konoka sat silently staring at each other.

"Um… can I explain everything later?" Negi asked. "I would first like to know your relation with Setsuna."

"Sure!" Konoka said happily, as if nothing awkward just happened. "Setsuna and I are childhood friends. Even when we were little, she always protected me from harm. Later on in life, she became more involved in kendo and I moved to Mahora Academy, where she came later. However, it's been like I've done something wrong. Setsuna hasn't talked with me since before I moved here."

Negi and Asuna, who was in the room the entire time and didn't say anything, left the room.

"She seemed kind of sad," Asuna said.

"Well, I think we need to go talk to Setsuna," Negi said.

They found Setsuna putting up paper on the walls and on the doors.

"What are you doing?" Negi asked.

"Putting up barriers to repel shikigami," Setsuna answered.

Negi told Setsuna of the events that just took place between Konoka, Vladimir, and himself.

"…"

"Setsuna? Are you alright?" Negi asked.

"…"

"Hello?"

"HOW COULD YOU LET HER FIND OUT ABOUT THIS!? This is great! How will I be able to explain it to him!?" Setsuna asked in a sharp manner.

"To who?"

"Konoka-ojou-sama's father! We must see him tomorrow. He's the head of the Kansai Magic Association."

"You know where they live? That's good. I needed to go there anyways," Negi said.

"Wait, you still care about Konoka, Setsuna?" Asuna asked.

"The reason why I'm here is to protect Konoka."

"Well, I'm glad that you aren't angry at her or anything."

"What?" Setsuna asked.

"Never mind. Um… the enemy might come back tonight, so let's set up some patrols. I assume they're targeting Konoka, right?"

"Well, she _is_ the Kansai leader's daughter."

"But why would someone from Kansai attack their leader's daughter?"

"It's probably someone working from the shadows who doesn't want the relations between the two areas to be fixed."

_Meanwhile, Thousands of Miles Away_

Vladimir hung up the phone and then started into the cave. He continued towards the door on the opposite side of the entrance and opened it to reveal a large flight of spiral stairs.

"Looks like I'm here," Vladimir smiled as he started down the stairs.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Daily Progress Journal

_Tap, Tap…_

Vladimir turned around, looking for the source of the noise. The further he went in the dark and wet cave, the louder the noise became. The flight of stairs was incredibly long, and when Vladimir got to the bottom of the stairs, he started hearing a tapping noise.

_Tap, Tap, Tap…_

"Seriously, life isn't supposed to be like a bad horror movie," Vladimir said to himself.

_Tap, Tap, Tap…_

"SHUT UP!"

_Silence…_

"What do you know, it wor…"

_Tap, tap, tap…_

"Alright, that's it. _Dragon Activation, Dragon of Fire!"_

Flames spewed from Vladimir's body. He shot fire out around the cave to light it up. Rats darted everywhere on the ground.

"That's weird. There should be a magical barrier here to prevent all life signs from entering. Did the barrier break? I can still sense strong magical energy here."

Vladimir continued through the cave. The tapping ceased when Vladimir activated his dragon.

_Plop, plop…_

"Stupid stalactites. Now you're going to annoy me."

Since the cave was now lit, Vladifmir could see that there were many stalactites and stalagmites in the room, but there weren't any in the middle of the room, as if they marked the boundaries of a bridge. The path was straight. Vladimir continued onwards.

Vladimir entered the room at the end of the pathway. The room was a perfect cylinder. At the top of the room, there was an orb of light made of magical energy. The entryway was the only door in the room. Along the sides of the wall, there were pits. A bridge led from the entryway to a round platform in the center of the room, where a large stone obelisk sat.

"Is this it?" Vladimir asked himself. He took a few steps forward, watching out for traps.

"That's weird. I was certain something would happen."

He took a few more steps forward. Again, nothing happened. Vladimir walked carefully all of the way to the obelisk. Many inscriptions were engraved in it.

"Hmm… these symbols aren't something I'm familiar with. Could it be a foreign language?" Vladimir asked his dragons.

"Unlikely. They look more like runes of the old kingdoms," replied one of Vladimir's dragons.

"Runes? Wasn't that art lost in the war several thousand years ago? Can any of you figure out what was written?"

"All of these runes were engraved to form a barrier that would be impossible for even the strongest of mages to break. If what was sealed here was the Dragon Lord of Darkness, then the seal probably wasn't strong enough to contain something so powerful."

Vladimir walked over to a tablet on the ground. On it was a note that said:

"Runes are symbols created by mages and given to humans so the humans could protect themselves from magical beasts. If the right symbols were made, they would make a rune, a magical letter that absorbed elements from the environment to form pure magic, much stronger than that of a mage. The only runes that were made were those that could make barriers and seals, and those that could make remedies and heal injuries. It would've been dangerous for the humans to be able to make runes that could create magic far greater than the magic of the mages. The humans were jealous of the mages for being able to use magic that could influence the outcome of even the greatest of wars. One day, a man appeared to a large kingdom. That man, The Dragon Lord of Darkness in human form, entered the gates of the king's castle. He befriended the king, and gave him the power of destructive runes. The king sent diplomats to every kingdom in the land that wasn't part of the Holy Magus Empire, the largest kingdom the world ever knew that was comprised of most of the world's mages. The kingdoms that the king sent diplomats to weren't that big, but the diplomats told the kingdoms' kings of the new runes, and the kingdoms formed together, forging a new country that rivaled the size of the Holy Magus Empire. The king of the new country, the one that befriended the Dark Dragon Lord, started a war with the Holy Magus Empire. This started the war that split the world in part. This war was the war that caused the deaths of roughly 75 of the world's mages. The mages used their powers to form a new world, a world where only magical beings existed. The outcome of the war was the destruction of both empires. The man who stopped the war ordered that all documents concerning runes be destroyed, and the Dark Dragon Lord was to be sealed. The man had a shrine built deep in the mountains, and had the seal of the Dark Dragon Lord placed there. He used every rune in existence at the time to make a barrier around the cave. However, the shrine was soon forgotten. And the man, unknowingly, gave his son up as an offering to the dragon. Now, the seal is broken, the Dragon Lord is free. He seeks to obtain what he wanted to obtain those thousands of years ago; the power of a god."

That was the end of the letter.

"That's weird. This letter isn't that old. It was written on in Modern English. And some of the stuff on it sounds familiar."

Vladimir turned around to head of the shrine. But before he did that, he copied down many of the runes onto a notepad.

"Well, I guess I should go set up a camp outside. I'll copy the rest of the runes tomorrow."

Vladimir made a camp right outside of the cave.

"Hmm… I wonder how Negi and everyone else is doing…"

_Meanwhile, Thousands of Miles Away…_

_Kyoto, Japan_

"Excuse me! Trolley coming through!"

A woman was pushing a trolley through the hallways, but she was practically running and almost hit some of the students that were in the halls.

"I'm back… oh everyone's asleep," Asuna said as she walked into her room. Nodoka, Haruna, and Konoka were asleep in their futons on the floor. Yue was sleeping in a very odd position in a chair by the window. She looked as if the slightest movement would make her fall out of the chair.

"Well, I'm going to patrol the rooms down the corridor," Setsuna told Asuna.

"M'kay. Let's change shifts later," Asuna replied. "I'll keep a constant watch on Konoka, so don't worry."

"Sorry about this, Asuna. If anything happens, call me."

Setsuna walked off down the hallway. Asuna sat down, getting ready for bed.

"Who is it? Asuna?" Konoka said as she wiped her eyes.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Asuna said as Konoka got up and walked towards the door. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Toilet."

"Oh, um… take care. I guess that can't be helped."

Konoka made her way down the hall, towards the restrooms. She opened the door and saw something on the toilet. The thing turned around and Konoka saw a person in what looked like a giant monkey suit.

"I'm still using it… Just kidding!" the monkey woman said as she grabbed Konoka.

_A Few Minutes Later…_

"Konoka sure is taking a long time," Asuna said.

Yue came skulking through the hallway towards the restroom.

"I need to use the toilet, too," she moaned.

Setsuna suddenly became aware of a magical presence.

"This aura!"

Setsuna dashed through the hallways to Konoka's room.

"Asuna-san, where's Konoka-ojou-sama!?" Setsuna yelled.

"The toilet," Asuna answered as she pointed down the hall.

Yue, Setsuna, and Asuna ran down the hall to the restroom.

"How long has it been!?" Setsuna asked.

"Hau… ten minutes," Yue answered.

Asuna knocked on the door and asked, "Konoka, you _are_ in there, right?"

"I'm still using it…"

"See," Asuna said.

"Konoka! I can't hold it anymore!" Yue yelled.

"You are Konoka-ojou-sama, right!?" Setsuna asked.

"I'm still using it…"

"Is that so…"

Setsuna and Asuna were looking at each other in suspicion. Yue, however, was throwing herself around on the ground and groaning a lot.

"I'm approaching my limit!" Yue yelled.

In her frenzy of throwing herself around on the floor, Yue hurled herself at the door. The door shot open and revealed that no one was inside. There was, however, a charm stuck to the toilet.

"I'm still using it…"

"A talking charm?" Asuna asked.

"We've been tricked!" Setsuna yelled.

"What should we do!?" Asuna said.

"Do whatever the hell you want! Just let me use the toilet!" Yue screamed as she ran inside and slammed the door shut behind her.

_Meanwhile, Outside the Hotel_

"And that's how you use a contract card, if you ever make a contract with someone."

Negi was talking with his ermine about the contracts a mage can make.

"Oh, I see. So I can telepathically communicate with my partner, teleport them to me, and activate their weapons, abilities, etc. I'm going to go ask Asuna to make a contract with me so I can try this out."

Negi ran into the building looking for Asuna. Asuna and Setsuna were running out of the building looking for Konoka.

"Ah, Negi!" Asuna yelled. "Konoka's been kidnapped!"

"What!?" Negi screamed.

"Hey, what's that, Aniki!?"

The ermine pointed towards the sky. A giant figure was falling from the sky. It crashed right in front of the group.

"A MONKEY!?" the group yelled in unison.

Negi saw that the woman in the costume was holding Konoka.

"Attack, my hordes of perverted monkeys!" the woman in the monkey suit yelled.

The monkey-woman jumped away through the night while the party tried to defeat a bunch of small monkeys that came from nowhere. Setsuna brandished her sword and cut through all the monkeys with it.

"Dang! She got away!" Setsuna yelled.

"Negi, maybe we should do that contract thingy. I won't be of any use if I have to fight against some magical beast."

"Okay. I was thinking that, too."

The ermine brought up a magical circle around Negi and Asuna. Asuna kissed Negi's lips and a blinding light engulfed them. When the light dissipated, Asuna was holding a giant fan and Negi was holding two cards with Asuna holding a giant sword on them.

"Let's go!" Setsuna yelled.

Setsuna was able to pick up the trail of the kidnapper. It didn't take long for them to catch up, since the monkey-woman was in a costume and she was carrying someone. They were at the subway station. The woman just got on a train, and Negi and his group followed her.

"Persistent! Alright, time for my second charm!"

The woman brought out another piece of paper. From it spewed forth a river which shot at Negi, Asuna, and Setsuna. The water filled the whole carriage while the woman snuck to the next one. Setsuna twirled her sword around in the water and made the next carriage open with an underwater whirlpool. The woman opened the doors to the trolley so that she wouldn't drown herself. Then, she ran out of the station, followed by Negi and his allies.

"Setsuna-san, aren't they only supposed to be sabotaging us? Why did they send a monkey-woman after Konoka?" Asuna asked.

"Well, you see… before this started, some members of the Kansai Magic Association were opposed to Konoka-ojou-sama leaving for Mahora Academy. It's extremely likely that they wish to use Konoka-ojou-sama's powers to dominate the Kansai Magic Association," Setsuna replied.

The group arrived at some stairs and saw the woman standing at the top.

"You've done well to make it this far. But can you handle this?"

Two giant monkeys appeared from thin air. Negi got out his pactio card with Asuna and activated their contract as well as summoning out Asuna's artifact. However, instead of the artifact being a sword, Asuna appeared with a fan. Asuna jumped at one of the monkeys and one impact of her fan caused the monkey to disappear, scaring the other one away. Negi jumped up and shot magical arrows at the woman which hit their marks. The woman ran off, leaving Konoka behind.

"That's weird. I expected that to take longer," Negi said.

Konoka woke up.

"Where am I?"

"Konoka-ojou-sama! You're okay!"

Konoka looked at Setsuna and smiled.

"It looks like you don't hate me, after all."

"Oh… well, I wanted to talk to you, too, but…"

Setsuna ran off down the stairs. The group returned to the hotel and went to sleep. And the night passed peacefully.

In the morning, Negi was asked to go with Nodoka's group for free activity. When the day started, Nodoka's friends took everyone away from Nodoka and Negi so that they could be alone. Poor Nodoka could not successfully confess her love for him. Or that was until…

Nodoka faced Negi on the dirt pathway. Her heart thumping from just being in the grace of her beloved's presence. Finally, over all of her mistakes that day, she mustered up the courage to tell Negi what she wanted.

Nodoka turned and faced Negi. Just being able to look at him shook her nerves, but no…this was something she _had_ to do.

"Negi-sensei…" Nodoka took a deep breath. "I really like you. I've loved you since the first day I saw you. I know this is weird, I mean I'm a student and you're a teacher, but...I wanted to tell you how I felt."

With that said, Nodoka ran off in the opposite direction of Negi, afraid of Negi's reaction. She didn't know if she could bare rejection from the one she admired so much.

Negi, on the other hand, passed out. He woke in the hotel. The thoughts of Nodoka's confession ran through his head.

"Co… confession…" Negi blurted out in the lobby.

"What!? Someone confessed to someone!? Who, Negi-sensei?" asked one of the students.

"Ah… um… no. I'm meant confession as the things you do in church," Negi said, but he was really bad at lying. He ran off.

"This looks like a job for _her_."

Asakura Kazumi just finished inserting more film into her camera when a group of girls from her class came up to her.

"Obscene conduct between teacher and student!? That would be a big scoop!" Asakura said.

"Actually, it was just someone who confessed to Negi. But we need you to find out whom."

"Just a confession? That's not a scoop. But then again, it could turn into one."

Asakura grabbed her camera and went to look for Negi. She noticed Negi walking outside, so she followed at a safe distance behind him. Negi saw a cat in the middle of the road, and a big van was driving down the road towards the cat.

"Watch out!" Negi yelled.

Negi jumped off the pavement and grabbed the cat. The car was dangerously close now. He stuck out his hand and used a spell to bounce the car over him.

"What was that!?" Asakura asked herself. "Wait a minute… this can be my big scoop!"

Negi mounted his staff and flew off into the sky. Asakura took a picture of this.

"Is he a superhero or something?"

_Later that Evening…_

Negi was skulking around and decided to take a trip to the spa baths. He just got in when Shizuna walked up behind him.

"Fufufu… Negi, I know all about your secret," Shizuna said.

Negi turned around, alarmed.

"You're a mage, right?"

"Did… did you hear that from the principal or something?"

"I don't know about that, but will you please show me some magic?" Shizuna asked as she shoved Negi's face into her breasts.

"Um… Shizuna, I think your breasts shrunk," Negi said.

"Wha… I'll have you know that my breasts are the fourth largest in the class!" Shizuna said.

"In the class!? Just who are you!?" Negi yelled.

"Oh, crap. I didn't mean to say that. Oh, well. I'm the next breaking news reporter, Asakura Kazumi!"

Asakura pulled off the wig on her head and through off the glasses.

"Look, I'm sure we can come to some sort of mutual agreement," Negi said.

After about fifteen minutes, Negi was able to make Asakura keep his secret. However, it wasn't in the way of words. Asakura pressured Negi so much that he snapped and sent Asakura flying through the air. After realizing what he did, Negi went after her and brought her back to the baths. Asakura's phone, which she was using as her camera was broken, so she decided that she would help Negi keep his secret so that she could find out more about the magical society.

That night, there was supposed to be a contest to see who could kiss Negi first. The ermine set up a contract circle around the hotel. Negi went out for a walk, unaware of the contest. He left many faulty clones of himself at the hotel. Everyone thought that the clones were just traps set up by everyone else. By the time Negi came back inside, most of Negi's class was being punished for being out of bed so late at night. Negi found Nodoka and Yue in a lounge area. Yue tripped Nodoka and made her fall on Negi, causing their lips to come in contact with each other. This caused Negi to get his second pactio card, although Nodoka had no clue what it was. However, everyone was caught and in the end, everyone had to squat in the lobby until morning except for Asuna and Setsuna.

_Meanwhile in Russia…_

Vladimir woke up late in the morning. He found a deer and the woods, so he killed it and ate it. After his breakfast, he went into the cave. However, the obelisk full of runes was crushed when he arrived in that room. He spent the whole day trying to fix it, which his hard work paid off. Late that evening, he finished fixing it and copied most of the runes. He decided to put the rest on hold until the next day.

"Today has been strange," Vladimir told his dragons.

"Yeah, the obelisk looks like it was shattered by magic," one of his dragons said.

"But we didn't feel any abnormal magical energy last night or this morning," another dragon stated.

"So, that means that whoever broke the obelisk can mask his presence with the elements around the shrine."

"I think I know who it is," Vladimir stated. "Hmm… but I don't know why he would be here. I'll cast a barrier around the obelisk so that it won't break again."

Vladimir engraved some runes on the ground around the obelisk. A huge magical field shot around the obelisk.

"Alright, let's go to bed."

_The Next Morning…_

Nodoka was walking past the group of girls that were praising her for obtaining the prize, which was a card with her on it holding a book. She walked through the crowd and noticed Negi talking with Asuna, Setsuna, and Asakura. Asuna was making a big fuss about something, so Nodoka observed them from afar.

"Negi! What are you going to do about this!? Look at all of these cards you made!" Asuna continued rambling.

"Aw, come on Ane-san," Asakura said.

"Yeah, come on Asuna! What's wrong with making a little profit on the side?" the ermine asked.

"Asakura! You and that pervert, Chamo, stay out of this!" Asuna yelled.

"Honya-chan is just a normal girl. It would be best for her and you if we kept this a secret from her," Asuna explained.

"But Asuna-san, you, too, are just a normal girl," Negi said.

Asuna jabbed her index finger into Negi's forehead.

"How can you say that after everything that has happened!?" Asuna said.

"Alright, let's keep it a secret from her, then," Negi agreed.

"What a waste…the card looked real strong, too. Well, never mind. Here's your copy of the card, Asuna."

"A card? What the heck can I do with it?"

"Well, you can communicate with it. Also, you can bring out your artifact by saying 'adeat' and you can get rid of it by saying 'abeat'."

Nodoka wasn't able to hear the whole conversation, but she heard how to bring out her artifact.

"A…adeat."

Nodoka's card turned into a book.

"Wha…? It turned into a book? It's blank… wait, here's something."

A page in the book had a picture of Nodoka and Negi kissing.

It said, "24th of April, Thursday. I kissed my beloved Negi-sensei today. Kya! It was only by accident! One day, I would like to do it in a more romantic way."

"Nodoka?" Yue said as she came walking through the hallways.

"Ah, Yue!" Nodoka said, alarmed. She looked down at her book and the next page had a picture of Negi holding Yue on the ground and it said, "24th of April, Thursday (Yue). Yesterday was an extremely troublesome day. Negi-sensei pushed me down right in front of Nodoka while she was asleep. I can't believe how stupid it was, but even now I'm still worried about it."

Nodoka slammed the book shut.

"Hmm? What's that book about, Nodoka?" Yue asked.

"It's nothing!" Nodoka yelled.

"Come on! We're friends, right?"

"Hey! What are you two doing here!? Come on and get ready!" Haruna came bounding down the hall. She forced them towards the exit of the building, where she saw Asuna, Konoka, and Setsuna sneaking out.

"Aha! Suspicious! Let's follow them!" Haruna said.

"Ah! Wait!" Nodoka and Yue replied, but it was futile. Haruna was already running towards Asuna's group.

Asuna was forced to take them with her on her way to meet Negi. Asuna was apologizing to Negi. Negi and his group continued onwards with Haruna's group, thinking of a way to get away from them. They went into an arcade and had their pictures taken. Negi found a mage game and decide to play it.

"Wow! Negi-sensei is really good! Is this really your first time?"

"Mind if I join?" a stranger asked as he started the machine next to Negi.

"Not at all."

The game started, but ended shortly. Negi lost to the stranger.

"Not too bad… but you've gotta long way to go before you're a proper 'mage'. See you around, Negi Springfield!" the stranger said.

"How do you know my name!?" Negi asked.

"You typed it in before you started playing," the stranger pointed out. "See ya!"

The boy walked off.

"He's getting away!" Haruna yelled.

While Haruna was making a scene, Negi ran off with Asuna, leaving Setsuna to protect Konoka.

Outside, the stranger walked down the alley.

"I knew it. His last name is 'Springfield'."

"Hmph… So he's the son of the Thousand Master? He will be a worthy opponent. It's payback time."

Those words were spoken by the monkey-woman, a person standing on each side of her; one a swordswoman, the other was a short boy with gray hair. The stranger that played the game with Negi was standing next to the boy.

Negi and Asuna snuck out of the arcade, but were seen by Nodoka. Unable to control her nosiness, she followed them. Back in the arcade, Setsuna started worrying that something may happen to Asuna and Negi, so she got out a piece of paper and made a clone of herself. This clone, however, was being controlled directly by Setsuna, and it was only a few inches tall and could fly.

Negi and Asuna were in front of a huge flight of stairs.

"This is headquarters for the Kansai Magic Association?" Negi asked.

"It looks like the Fushimi Shrine because of all the gates along the path," the ermine said.

"All we have to do is hand the leader the letter right? Let's go!" Asuna said as she started to run off ahead.

"Asuna-san! Is Negi okay?" A floating chibi-Setsuna appeared in front of Asuna.

Negi ran up next to Asuna.

"Watch out for traps. The mages here might not welcome you," the Setsuna clone said.

"Understood, um… Little Setsuna."

With that, Asuna, Negi, and Little Setsuna ran off towards the Kansai Magic Association's headquarters.

Huff, huff

"We've… been… running for 30 minutes," Asuna said, panting.

"Negi, I think we're in an infinite time-space spell zone."

_Meanwhile…_

Nodoka looked up the stairs.

"Did they go up here?" she asked herself.

"HELP!" Negi's voice entered Nodoka's head.

"Negi-sensei?" Nodoka looked around and noticed that it came from her book. She opened it up and saw a page with Negi and Asuna running. It said, "April 24, Negi. UEEEEE-N! HELP—!"

_Meanwhile With Negi…_

"Look! A roof! It must be a rest area!"

The group stopped there to assess their situation. However, before they could do anything, a giant spider fell out of the sky with the stranger standing on top of it.

"Holy crap. That's all I can say."

"Be careful, Asuna-san!" Little Setsuna said.

_Meanwhile at the Arcade…_

"Setsuna! Why are you so spaced out?" Konoka asked while she shook the real Setsuna.

"Ojou-sama! It's you! I about had a heart attack!"

"Let's go!" Konoka said cheerfully.

Unbeknownst to them, the swordswoman that was with the monkey-woman was following them.

"Huhu… I just _love_ strong girls!" the swordswoman said.

_Meanwhile (For the Umpteenth Time)…_

Nodoka saw that Negi and Asuna were fighting a giant spider by using her book. She searched frantically for them.

Over where Negi and Asuna were, the giant spider lunged at them. Negi activated Asuna's contract while she summoned her giant fan. One hit with her fan turned the overly large arachnid back into a charm.

"So it's true. I heard about a girl who could break enchantments," the stranger said. "This will be interesting."

"You should surrender while you still can," Asuna said.

"Heheheh… woman, I'm not just _any_ magic user."

"Watch out! This guy must be a…" Little Setsuna tried to say.

The stranger lunged at Asuna and Negi with lightening speed. Asuna tried to whack him with her fan, but he was able to dodge all of his attacks. He jumped around Asuna and charged Negi.

"_Ras tel ma scir magister flans exclamatio!_" Negi yelled.

Negi unleashed several magical beams at the stranger's face, but the guy's speed shattered the impact. The stranger punched Negi and sent him flying through the air.

Nodoka was staring at her book and saw that Negi had been hit. Nodoka was so into the book that she didn't notice that the fight wasn't taking that far from her. They were fighing in the woods right behind Nodoka.

"This doesn't look good. He's too fast for Asuna to hit him. NEGI-SENSEI, BEHIND YOU!"

Nodoka thought she heard something behind her, but when she looked, there was no one there. The fighters ran off from that area.

The stranger palmed Negi's jaw and made him bleed.

"Haha… I broke through your barrier."

"That's not fair!" Asuna exclaimed. "You should of told us that you were a fighter instead of a mage!"

"You were the one that just assumed."

"Alright then! I'm your opponent, now!"

"Fighting is a man's job. I won't hit girls, even the obscenely strong ones such as yourself. Stand and fight, Western Mage Negi Springfield. If this is all you can do, then your father probably isn't that great either," the stranger said.

"Aniki! We must retreat for now!" Chamo said as he threw a bottle on the ground. The bottle shattered and engulfed the surrounding area in smoke. Asuna grabbed Negi and they ran away.

Nodoka was reading her book while she was walking.

"Thank goodness! They got away," she said.

Asuna, Negi, Chamo, and Little Setsuna were sitting around a safe distance from the place where they fought the stranger.

"What the hell is that cheeky brat's problem!? And what's with those dumb ears!?" Asuna yelled.

"The boy is a Kuzoku," Little Setsuna said. "They are wolf or fox type monsters. I guess you could say he's a wolf-man."

"Another monster?" Asuna asked. "This is getting tiresome. Hasn't Evangeline taught you anything about fighting?"

"Well, I haven't actually trained with her, yet. But I do need to get stronger. I believe that if I become stronger, then my quest for searching for my father will be easier. That's why I took training from Takamichi for a month before coming to Japan. I'm still inexperienced, but I want to find my father. That's why I must defeat that guy," Negi said.

"But how can we beat him?" the ermine asked.

"Don't worry. I have a plan."

_Meanwhile (This is Becoming Really Cliché)…_

Nodoka heard somebody running towards her.

"Abeat!" she said and transformed her artifact back into a card.

"FOUND YOU!" the stranger yelled as he charged Nodoka. "Oh, wrong person. Hey, weren't you in the arcade about an hour ago? You shouldn't be here. There was a sign outside that said 'Entry prohibited', right? There's a fight going on ahead. I'll undo the trap and let you out later. Later!" the stranger said as he turned to leave.

"Ah! Is this the boy that was fighting Negi!?" Nodoka asked herself. "Alright I need to get his name for my artifact to work, though."

"Wait!" Nodoka said. "I'm Nodoka Miyazaki. What would your name be?"

"I guess it would be rude not to answer. I'm Kotarou Inugami."

Kotarou ran off to find Negi.

"Adeat!" Nodoka yelled. "Well, he didn't seem like a bad kid, but…"

Negi and Asuna were standing side-by-side, waiting for the enemy that sought them so. Negi saw him coming.

"Alright. Let's go!"


End file.
